MDT flashcards
MDT · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- MDT definition
- A group of healthcare professionals from at least two disciplines who meet regularly to discuss patients and agree a shared care plan, with documented decisions and named actions.
- Terms of reference
- A governance document defining an MDT's purpose, membership, chair, quorum, meeting frequency, decision rules, escalation route, and review date.
- Quorum
- The minimum number and type of core members who must be present for an MDT meeting to make valid decisions; absent members' views should be sought beforehand.
- MDT chair role
- Chairs set the agenda, keep time, ensure each discipline contributes, summarize decisions, and confirm actions with named owners and deadlines.
- Escalation pathway
- The defined route for unresolved MDT disagreement, typically from case lead to clinical director, then divisional governance or ethics committee, with reasons documented.
- Clinical accountability
- The principle that MDT decisions are collective, but each registered clinician remains personally accountable for their own actions and omissions.
- RACI matrix
- A role-clarity tool labeling tasks as Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, or Informed, preventing duplication and gaps within multidisciplinary team workflows.
- Scope of practice
- The range of activities a professional is trained, competent, and authorized to perform under their registration, employer policy, and local protocols.
- Professional boundary
- The limit that protects therapeutic relationships, distinguishing professional duties from personal relationships and preventing conflicts of interest or exploitation.
- Delegation rule
- A task may be delegated only when the delegator confirms the delegate's competence, the delegate accepts, and accountability for the overall episode remains clear.
- MDT coordinator
- The administrator who triages referrals, prepares agendas and records, tracks actions, and ensures cases are circulated before meetings.
- SBAR handover
- Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation: a structured communication format that presents key facts and a clear request in a predictable order.
- Minimum dataset
- The core information required before MDT discussion: demographics, diagnosis and stage, investigations, comorbidities, performance status, patient preferences, and the clinical question.
- Case triage
- Sorting referrals by urgency and complexity into categories such as urgent, new, complex review, or routine, so meeting time matches clinical need.
- Referral criteria
- Explicit inclusion and exclusion rules, required investigations, consent, and urgency definitions that determine whether a patient is appropriate for MDT discussion.
- Case presentation frame
- A time-boxed structure stating the question, relevant history, investigations, treatment options, and a specific recommendation for the team to endorse or revise.
- PICO
- A question framework: Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome; it makes clinical questions searchable and keeps evidence appraisal focused.
- GRADE
- A system rating evidence certainty as high, moderate, low, or very low, and recommendations as strong or conditional based on benefits, harms, values, and resources.
- Evidence hierarchy
- A ranking of study designs from systematic reviews and randomized trials down through cohort and case studies to expert opinion, used to judge reliability.
- Shared decision-making
- A collaborative process where clinicians explain options, benefits, harms, and uncertainty, and patients contribute values and preferences before a documented joint decision.
- SMART care plan
- Goals written as Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, enabling the MDT to track progress and review outcomes objectively.
- Treatment escalation plan
- A documented plan stating which interventions are appropriate if a patient deteriorates, aligned with their goals, prognosis, and agreed ceilings of care.
- Closed-loop communication
- A sender gives a message, the receiver repeats it back, and the sender confirms accuracy, reducing errors in handovers and task allocation.
- Minimum necessary principle
- Only the information needed for a specific care purpose is shared with each recipient, limiting disclosure and supporting confidentiality and data protection.
- Audit trail
- A chronological record of who accessed or changed patient information and when, enabling accountability and detection of inappropriate access.
- Structured minutes
- A concise record of attendance, cases discussed, decisions, actions, named owners, and deadlines, without verbatim dialogue or unnecessary personal detail.
- Teach-back
- A communication check where the patient explains the plan in their own words, allowing the clinician to correct misunderstandings immediately.
- Audit cycle
- A quality method: define standards, measure practice, compare results with standards, implement change, then re-audit to confirm improvement.
- Donabedian model
- A framework assessing quality through structure, process, and outcomes, used to design service measures and interpret where improvement is needed.
- PDSA cycle
- Plan, Do, Study, Act: a small-scale improvement method that tests a change, measures the result, and decides whether to adapt, adopt, or abandon it.
- Control chart
- A time-series graph with statistical limits that distinguishes common-cause variation from special-cause variation, guiding whether a service change had real effect.
- Morbidity meeting
- A structured review of complications, deaths, or near misses, focusing on system factors and learning rather than individual blame.