Observations of multidisciplinary care planning meetings
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Observations of multidisciplinary care planning meetings
IRAS ID
203417
Contact name
Tayana Soukup Ascencao
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
Multidisciplinary care planning meetings (also known as multidisciplinary team meetings, or MDTs) are central to the management of chronic disease, and as such they have become widely established across the NHS and internationally. This has occurred as a result of increasingly specialised care, complex medical knowledge, continuing clinical uncertainty and promotion of patient involvement in their own care. \n\nWhile multidisciplinary care planning meetings have many benefits, they are resource-intensive, requiring time away from other clinical commitments. As such, it is essential that their structure, process and quality of decision-making be maximized so that they can deliver value to the NHS and patients. When compared to other chronic diseases, such as cancer, dementia and heart failure, mental health teams were found to implement fewer treatment plan decisions, and team members reported that meetings lacked clarity and purpose. More recently, some guidance for MDTs in mental health has been provided in a report by the Health Services and Delivery Research, which laid out 21 indicators of good practice, including regular yearly audits to check that meetings are achieving their goals. In addition, there have been calls for empirical research on MDT meeting decision-making in routine practice to understand how and under what conditions they produce effective decisions. \n\nTherefore, the aim of the current study is to contribute to the overall body of knowledge using ethnographic observations of multidisciplinary care planning meetings within the mental health setting at Broadmoor Hospital and City and Hackney Centre. Specifically, this project will qualitatively assess the decision-making process. Observation notes will be scrutinised to identify common themes, which will be organised into a coding frame.\n
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NW/0316
Date of REC Opinion
4 May 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion