The Structure and Operation of Multidisciplinary Teams
The “multidisciplinary care” label is used quite widely in contemporary cancer practice to describe diverse care structures, some of which look more like tumor boards than MDCs. So far, we have identified two important dimensions of team focus that can be used to differentiate MDC teams: a focus on specific disease or tumor sites and a focus on the care continuum, from active treatment through end of life. A third dimension deserves discussion: the distinction between “actual” vs “virtual” teams. Actual teams perform their work (consultation, care planning, changes in care plans) with all teams members present at the same time and place.