Communication in and clinician satisfaction with multidisciplinary team meetings in neuro-oncology

Abstract

Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) meetings are critical in the management of complex cancer cases. There are limited data regarding the effectiveness of neuro-oncology MDT meetings and the impact of documenting and disseminating the recommended patient management. We established a weekly neuro-oncology MDT meeting and developed a standard electronic communication process. A survey was issued to participating clinicians to assess their level of satisfaction. The survey revealed that 100% felt the meeting and its documentation was very or extremely important, and 94% (n=15) felt the meeting was effective in documentation and communication of plans. There was a mixed response regarding which patients should be discussed: 44% (n=7) thought all patients should be discussed and 56% (n=9) thought only those patients with complex management issues should be discussed. We have developed an efficient method of documenting and disseminating patient information arising from our neuro-oncology MDT meeting. Clinician satisfaction was high.