Mapping Current Organizational Structure and Improvement Points of Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Team Meetings – An Interview Study

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the study was to map current organization, and document potential improvement points of breast cancer multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTMs), in order to support the optimization of the present breast cancer MDTM organization. Methods: From January 2019 to February 2021, 24 core team members of the breast cancer multidisciplinary team (MDT) in three hospitals were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were performed based on an interview guide. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Deductive coding was performed on the transcripts by two independent researchers. The codes were organized in categories and themes. Results: In total 24 healthcare professionals; surgeons, medical oncologists, radiotherapists, pathologists, radiologists, and specialized nurses, from three different hospitals were interviewed. According to the participants, improving efficiency before and during MDTMs is possible by ensuring proper preparation of attendees, implementing more structure during discussions, improving access to and availability of patient data and optimizing general meeting discipline. Conclusion: Preparation, structure, data availability and meeting discipline were highlighted as essential factors for efficient breast cancer MDTM improvement. These topics seem to be applicable to other types of oncology MDTMs as well. Improving MDTM efficiency on the long term ensures high-quality discussions for all breast cancer patients.