The Impact of Multidisciplinary Conference on Clinicians

Multidisciplinary conferences (MDC) for rectal cancer yield benefits to patients; however, whether they confer benefits to clinicians has not been explicitly investigated. This qualitative study evaluates the impact of our local rectal cancer MDC on physician participants.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted via a virtual video-calling platform and recorded and transcribed. Participants included staff clinicians and fellowship-level trainees from medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgery, radiology, and pathology, all of whom participate in our weekly rectal cancer MDC. Qualitative analysis using NVivo was completed, and themes and subthemes were coded and tabulated using a constant comparative method.

A total of 21 clinicians participated in the study, representing all five disciplines. Four major themes were identified: benefits, challenges, successes, and improvements. The most significant major theme was benefits, discussed by all 21 participants. Subthemes in this category were benefits to clinicians, which included academic opportunities and strengthening of interdisciplinary communication and collegiality. Major themes also included challenges and successes, mentioned in all interviews, as well as improvements, which were mentioned in most interviews. Subthemes in the challenges category included timing of meetings and workload. Subthemes for successes included the virtual platform as well as adequate representation and administrative support.

Multidisciplinary conference has added value beyond that which is experienced by patients. This includes enhanced interdisciplinary communication and collegiality, which in turn can impact overall physician satisfaction. Challenges are inherent, including workload and accessibility; however, these can be balanced with administrative support and virtual platform.