Robust conversation and conflicting opinions may seem to have no place in a cooperative workplace, but it is central to the success of cancer care at Peninsula Health.
“A big part of the Multidisciplinary meeting is having dissenting views between clinicians,” says Oncology Multidisciplinary Team Leader Meliz Emin. “And it’s vital that the scribe notates all of that discrepancy and difference of opinion, because that then gets relayed to the patient … so that they have all their treatment options presented to them.”
“The key focus is to allow patients to be discussed amongst a diverse group of multidisciplinary individuals.”
Every cancer patient in the service is discussed at a Multidisciplinary Team Meeting (MDTM), where up to 20 professionals will give their opinions on the best course of treatment for each case – including surgeons, registrars, specialty nurses, allied health professionals, oncologists and researchers.
There are seven meetings a fortnight, but the meetings themselves are only the tip of the iceberg. The MDTM Coordinators have the mammoth task of collecting and compiling all patient data and diagnostic investigations for team members to review, ensuring that each patient is represented as accurately as possible.
“There’s a lot that happens behind the scenes that is quite vital and essential for our MDT Coordinators to do and gather before a patient can even be presented,” explains Meliz.
Meliz oversees 3 Coordinators who prepare for the meetings. They ensure personal demographic information is complete and correct, and obtain imaging and pathology investigations from multiple health services.
It takes five days from receiving the referral to gather all the investigative information to then pass on to Pathology and radiology teams for their own review and interpretation.
After the meeting has taken place, all the information and treatment recommendations are documented and recorded onto the electronic health record within 24 hours, as well as being distributed to the patient’s GP.
Karen Courts is one of the Multidisciplinary Team Meeting Coordinators and has been in the role for seven years, having previously been the ward clerk on 5FS (oncology ward) at Frankston Hospital.
“I just love working with people, supporting patient-centred care, and supporting our team,” she says.
The Multidisciplinary Team Meeting process has been integrated into Peninsula Health’s cancer services since 2014. However with the newly-appointed Team Leader role, there is further scope to develop policy and procedure in line with the Department of Health frameworks. A governance committee for Multidisciplinary Teams has also been established.
“Not only are we having meaningful discussions to help with the treatment outcomes of patients, but that we’re then able to relay as accurate data as we can to the Department of Health so that we get a better picture of the overall impact of cancer on our state and our community,” explains Meliz.
The team is preparing for an increased workload as time goes on, due to the success of national screening programs, and population growth on the Peninsula.
“This was a one to two-person role, we’ve now moved to four. It’s a growing space… we’re trying to keep up with the demand of increased presentation and just make sure that patients are adequately supported and cared for,” says Meliz.
“It’s such a vulnerable time in someone’s life, and to be able to have a meaningful impact in the quality of their care and to make that process just a little bit easier is what drew me into it.”