Lead investigator: Dr Jessica Bate, Southampton University Hospital NHS Trust
Funded by CCLG
Funded December 2017
Award: £74,722
Multidisciplinary teams (MDT) are a central part of children’s cancer care in the UK. All children with a diagnosis of cancer will have their care reviewed by an MDT at a principal treatment centre (PTC). This team will typically include oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, radiation oncologists, nurses and an administrative coordinator. The team reviews information about each patient including imaging and pathology and provides recommendations on a diagnosis or course of treatment.
Over recent years, there has been a rise in the number of national advisory panels for children’s cancer. These panels are distinct from PTC MDTs and are usually made up of national experts for a particular cancer type. Consultants may seek advice from these panels for an individual patient. While these panels clearly fulfil an important role, their remit and impact on patients has not previously been studied.
Therefore, the aims of this research proposal are to:
- Evaluate selected national advisory panels by looking back at case records. This part will describe their purpose, organisation and work to date.
- Establish whether review by a national advisory panel added value to PTC MDT decisions. This will be done by examining differences between PTC MDT and national panel recommendations and final treatment received. This part will also describe outcomes for these patients.
- Work with families to enhance patient understanding of the MDT through the development of multi-media information. This part will also explore the contribution of the parent/patient voice in MDT decision-making.
- Design a sustainable and effective model for PTC MDTs and national panels to ensure they are of high quality and add value to patients.
This patient-centred research project is a unique opportunity to determine the impact and effectiveness of children’s cancer MDTs and national advisory panels. It has potential to lead to higher standards of care and ultimately improve patient experience and outcome.