• About
  • Masthead
  • License Content
  • Advertise
  • Submit Press Release
  • RSS/Email List
  • Write for us
  • Contact us
2 Minute Medicine
No Result
View All Result

No products in the cart.

SUBSCRIBE
  • Specialties
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • The Scan
  • Wellness
  • Classics™
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • AccountLog-in/out
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account
2 Minute Medicine
  • Specialties
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • The Scan
  • Wellness
  • Classics™
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • AccountLog-in/out
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account
SUBSCRIBE
2 Minute Medicine
Subscribe
Home All Specialties Chronic Disease

Multidisciplinary teams may not improve outcomes on general medicine wards

byAnees DaudandJames Jiang
June 17, 2015
in Chronic Disease, Public Health
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

1. This systematic review of the effect of a multidisciplinary team intervention on the general medicine ward on objective measures such as length of stay, early readmission rates, and mortality did not show any improvements in any of these outcomes.

2. However, rather than showing the ineffectiveness of multidisciplinary teams, this study instead shows significant heterogeneity in how these teams are utilized, and inconsistencies in studying meaningful outcomes for inpatient medicine care.

Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent) 

Study Rundown: There is much more to the general medical ward than the diagnosis and management of specific disease. The organization of the ward and delivery of care is complex, and there is a major interest in optimizing this for the benefit of patient care. Interdisciplinary care on the wards has been touted to improve objective patient outcomes. This systematic review was conducted to investigate if this was the case. This study showed that multidisciplinary team intervention on the general medicine ward did not have any positive impact on the length of stay, early readmission rates, and mortality. However, rather than showing the ineffectiveness of multidisciplinary teams, this study instead showed significant heterogeneity in how these teams were utilized, and inconsistencies in studying meaningful outcomes for inpatient medicine care.

The strength of the study lies in the extensive review of the literature and the period of time included in the search. However, there were several important limitations. The studies all had somewhat different definitions of the ‘multidisciplinary’ intervention. Also, the studies did have significant biases that were often not corrected, such as correcting for the acuity or mix of cases. Lastly, not all studies included all of the same outcomes.

Click to read the study, published today in JAMA Internal Medicine

Relevant Reading: Improving quality of delirium care in a general medical service with established interdisciplinary care: a controlled trial

RELATED REPORTS

The religious and spiritual beliefs of cancer patients may influence decision making

The spiritual history may improve the quality of the doctor-patient relationship

2 Minute Medicine Rewind

In-Depth [systematic review]: The studies that were included in this systematic review came from EMBASE, MEDLINE, and PsychINFO databases from 1998 to 2013. Only studies that examined the effects of interdisciplinary teams on the objective outcomes, such as length of stay, early mortality, and early readmissions, were included in the study. The definitions of “multidisciplinary” did vary between the studies, to include subspecialists, other health care professionals, and modality of rounds, etc.

In 23 of the studies that evaluated length of stay outcomes, 16 (70%) did not identify any significant change, and only 5 of 23 (22%) showed decrease in length of stay with the multidisciplinary intervention. In regards to early readmission rates, different forms of intervention teams (infectious disease subspecialists, pharmacists, etc) also did not show any decreases in readmission. Lastly, in regards to mortality rates, only one of the 15 studies (7%) that measured this outcome was able to show a significant decrease.

Image: PD

©2015 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. All rights reserved. No works may be reproduced without expressed written consent from 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. Inquire about licensing here. No article should be construed as medical advice and is not intended as such by the authors or by 2 Minute Medicine, Inc.

Tags: medicine
Previous Post

Antibiotics fail to meet noninferior threshold compared to surgery in uncomplicated acute appendicitis

Next Post

U.S. constitutes major source of health development assistance from 1990 to 2014

RelatedReports

Oncology

The religious and spiritual beliefs of cancer patients may influence decision making

February 14, 2022
Wellness

The spiritual history may improve the quality of the doctor-patient relationship

February 11, 2022
2 Minute Medicine Rewind
Cardiology

2 Minute Medicine Rewind

June 22, 2013
Science: tried and true? [Perspective]
Uncategorized

Science: tried and true? [Perspective]

May 9, 2013
Next Post
Positive physician experience in the Pediatric AIDS Corps

U.S. constitutes major source of health development assistance from 1990 to 2014

Type I diabetes not associated with early menopause [OVADIA study]

Diffusion kurtosis imaging useful in assessment of HbA1c levels  

Prognostic nomograms predict survival after chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma

Prognostic nomograms predict survival after chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma

License Our Award-Winning Physician-Written Medical News and Visual Abstracts

2 Minute Medicine is the leading authoritative medical news licensing service, and the only with reports written by practicing doctors.

LICENSE CONTENT

2MM+ Premium Access

No ads & unlimited access to all current reports, over 9000 searchable archived reports, visual abstracts, Weekly Rewinds, and the online edition of The Classics Series™ textbook.

Subscription Options
2 Minute Medicine

2 Minute Medicine® is an award winning, physician-run, expert medical media company. Our content is curated, written and edited by practicing health professionals who have clinical and scientific expertise in their field of reporting. Our editorial management team is comprised of highly-trained MD physicians. Join numerous brands, companies, and hospitals who trust our licensed content.

Recent Reports

  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease associated with worse postoperative outcomes
  • Empagliflozin use is associated with slower progression of chronic kidney disease
  • Diagnostic tool may help identify cerebral palsy regardless of encephalopathy features
License Content
Terms of Use | Disclaimer
Cookie Policy
Privacy Statement (EU)
Disclaimer

© 2021 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. - Physician-written medical news.

  • Specialties
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • The Scan
  • Wellness
  • Classics™
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • Account
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account

© 2021 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. - Physician-written medical news.

Want more physician-written
medical news?

Join over 10 million yearly readers and numerous companies. For healthcare professionals
and the public.

Subscribe for free today!

Subscription options