Table 2.

Characteristics of an effective multidisciplinary team for cancer patients

I. The Team

• Level of expertise and specialization

• Attendance of MDMs

• Leadership (e.g., chair or leader of the MDMs)

• Team working and culture (e.g., mutual respect and trust, equality, resolution of conflict, constructive discussion, absence of personal agendas, ability to request, and provide clarification)

• Personal development and training

II. Infrastructure for MDM

• Appropriate meeting room

• Availability of technology and equipment

III. MDM organization

• Regular meetings

IV. Logistics

• Preparation for meetings

• Organization during meetings

• Post-meeting coordination of services for the patient

V. Patient-centered clinical decision-making

• Who to discuss, i.e., having local mechanisms in place to identify all patients where discussion at MDM is needed

• Patient-centered care (e.g., patient’s views and preferences are presented by someone who has met the patient, and the patient is given sufficient information to make a well-informed decision on their treatment and care)

• Clinical decision-making process

• The information the team needs to make informed decisions/recommendations at team meetings are as follows: pathological, radiological, comorbidities, psychosocial, palliative care needs, patient history, and patient views

• The decisions/recommendations at team meetings need to be evidence-based (in line with NICE and/or cancer network guidelines), patient-centered, and in line with standard treatment protocols (unless there is a good reason against this)

VI. Team governance

• Organizational support (e.g., funding and resources)

• Data collection during team meetings, analysis, and audit of outcomes (e.g., patient experience surveys); the results of these investigations are fed back to MDTs to support learning and development

• Clinical governance (e.g., there are agreed policies, guidelines, and protocols for MDTs; performance assessment and peer review against similar MDTs using cancer peer review processes and other tools)

Abbreviations: MDM, multidisciplinary team meeting; MDT,multidisciplinary team; NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.