Improving patient and carer communication, multidisciplinary team working and goal-setting in stroke rehabilitation

To determine the extent to which three forms of multidisciplinary team (MDT) care in stroke rehabilitation meet the standards set by the United Kingdom National Service Framework (NSF).

Consecutive assessment of the three forms of care was completed.

The study included three groups of 25 stroke inpatients on the stroke rehabilitation ward.

(1) A standard weekly MDT meeting using a standard form for documentation; (2) a standard MDT meeting using a newly devised form; and (3) a novel MDT ward round using the new form, and attended by doctors.

MDT ward rounds result in significantly better consideration of patients' needs (median 7 per patient compared with 0 and 5 in phases one and two), enhanced SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time framed) goal-setting (median 3 per patient compared to 1 in phases one and two); greater patient involvement (12 patients compared to 0 and 4 in phases one and two); and improved team working (measured using the team climate inventory) than do MDT meetings.

In the present study, standard weekly MDT meetings did not meet the standards set for MDT care by the NSF. The use of a MDT ward round allows these standards to be achieved.