Can multidisciplinary teams improve the quality of primary care? A scoping review

There is increasing use of multi-disciplinary teams (MDT) to increase the quality of and access to primary care. For example, the promotion of MDTs in primary care is one of four recent major policy recommendations in Australia. This review sought to understand the impact of MDT on the quality of primary care, including continuity of care, and the enablers and barriers to implementation.

A scoping review was undertaken of peer-reviewed journal articles published between 1 January 2014 and 13 August 2024. It is registered at OSF: DOI:10.17605/OSF.IO/23QYU. A search of PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, CINAHL, PAIS, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases yielded 1603 records or 770 articles after duplicates were removed; 75 full-texts were reviewed and 27 studies met the inclusion criteria. The search was repeated for the period 13 August 2024 to 13 August 2025, which yielded a further 282 records after duplicates were removed; 19 full-texts were reviewed and an additional 12 papers met the inclusion criteria reflecting the increasing interest in MDT-care in primary care reforms. Data extracted from the 39 papers in scope included the characteristics of MDT care reported, the outcomes observed, and the enablers and barriers to implementation. A socio-ecological model was used to examine the system, organisational, professional and patient level factors that enabled MDT-care in general practice.

Data showed the models of MDT-care varied substantially. They ranged from multiple providers working together to care for a patient, to interprofessional teams providing patients the option to see an alternative provider. Analysis showed mixed outcomes from MDTs in primary care, driven by contextual, policy, organisational, professional and patient factors. In some cases, MDT strengthened the management of chronic disease. In other cases, MDT reduced continuity of care by fragmenting relational continuity. MDT care also impacted access to care, comprehensiveness of care, and coordination of care-in some cases positively, and other cases negatively.

While there may be common preconditions at the systems, organisational, professional and patient level, effective MDT-care was likely to be goal and context specific. The introduction of MDTs will require careful planning and implementation to ensure that the potential benefits of MDT are realised and that it does not compromise the quality of primary care.

The International Centre for Future Health Systems is supported by funding from The Ian Potter Foundation.