Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) meetings have become a crucial aspect in patient-centred care, especially in complex cases that require cross-specialty collaboration. Infectious Disease specialists and Orthopaedic surgeons often co-operate in the complex management of prosthetic joint infections, and bone and joint infections. These types of cases require tailored MDT guidelines, which resources for are limited, resulting in the specific collaborative needs not being met. This study intends to offer a framework for complex MDT collaborations, specifically for the integration of Infectious Diseases and Orthopaedic specialities. Such collaborations are essential in order to improve clinical outcomes, enhance patient-centred care, and reduce treatment variability.
The study hypothesises that a structured MDT guideline framework, adapted to the requirements of Infectious Diseases and Orthopaedics, will lead to a more effective collaboration across the specialities, which would significantly improve patient outcomes. The key objectives include: Identifying the current challenges in Infectious Diseases-Orthopaedic MDT sessions, highlighting the crucial elements that achieve successful cross-specialty collaboration, and establishing best practice protocols for managing complex cases that benefit both the clinician and the patient.
This research will identify important gaps in current complex MDT procedures and offer an evidence-based strategy to address them. This will be done through a comprehensive review of current and past MDT practices and will assist in creating a practical and adaptable set of guidelines that health centres can utilise to enhance uniformity and communication in patient-centred care. There is a growing need for complicated MDT guidelines and this research can serve as a model for integrating specialities through complex care pathways.