A Web-Based Self-assessment Model for Evaluating Multidisciplinary Cancer Teams in Spain: Development and Validation...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Health Services Research
• Digital Health

Background:

• Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs), particularly tumor boards, are crucial for complex cancer care decision-making.
• Existing frameworks for MDT quality evaluation are limited, with no web-based tools specifically for the Spanish National Health System.
• The increasing complexity of cancer treatments necessitates robust evaluation of MDT performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a web-based self-assessment model named AEMAC (Autoevaluación de Equipos Multidisciplinares de Atención al Cáncer) for evaluating cancer MDTs in Spain.
• To validate the AEMAC tool by assessing its metric properties, acceptability, and usability among healthcare professionals.
• To provide a much-needed digital solution for MDT quality assessment within the Spanish healthcare context.

Main Methods:

• A three-stage approach: research (literature review, qualitative case study), development (web app creation), and piloting/validation (4 pilot tests with 15 tumor boards).
• Expert validation of thematic areas and quality criteria derived from evidence and best practices.
• Pilot testing involved 243 professionals to analyze tool acceptability and usefulness.

Main Results:

• The AEMAC model comprises 5 thematic areas and 25 quality components, rated on a 3-option scale.
• The web app facilitates individual self-assessment, group prioritization, and improvement plan creation.
• Strong internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .86, McDonald's omega = 0.88) and model fit indices were confirmed. Overall satisfaction was rated 7.6/10.

Conclusions:

• The AEMAC program possesses appropriate structure and metric properties for implementation and generalization across hospitals.
• This virtual tool effectively measures key MDT quality aspects, including collaboration, communication, leadership, and organizational environment.
• AEMAC offers a valuable resource for enhancing the quality of multidisciplinary cancer care in Spain.