Teams: communication in multidisciplinary care

Shortly before his death in 1995, Kenneth B. Schwartz, a cancer patient at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), founded The Kenneth B. Schwartz Center at MGH. The Schwartz Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and advancing compassionate health care delivery that provides hope to the patient and support to caregivers, and encourages the healing process. The Center sponsors the Schwartz Center Rounds, a monthly multidisciplinary forum where caregivers reflect on important psychosocial issues faced by patients, their families, and their caregivers, and gain insight and support from fellow staff members. The evolving field of oncology increasingly requires a team of medical specialists working in unison to deliver optimal medical care. While this coordination may maximize the technical synergy of care, it can challenge interprofessional and interdisciplinary connections. Poor and miscommunication and conflicts between staff and between the family and providers adversely affect patient care and quality of life. Furthermore, lack of communication leaves a vacuum that sucks in fear. A recent Newsweek article highlighted the challenges of practicing in the age of high-tech medicine. The author had to beg for a prognosis for her critically ill and dying husband, with unhelpful subspecialists failing to communicate the bigger picture. This article explores the tough issue of how teams handle uncertainty and bad news and how patients and families can be better supported in the multifaceted paradigm of modern care.