Do Yeun Kim, In Gyu Hwang and Bong-Seog Kim
Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, South Korea
Chung-Ang university Hospital, South Korea
Veterans Health Service Medical Center, South Korea
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Prim Health Care
Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the current operation of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) to cancer patients and to facilitate to better cancer care in Korea. Materials and Methods: Questionnaire dealing with meeting frequency, pattern of care, impacting factors to inactivate or facilitate of MDT, and responderâ??s opinion was given to a director of medical oncologist departments of university hospitals. The questionnaire was then sent via online from Korean Association of Clinical Oncology (KACO). Result: A total of 32 of 91 individuals (35.2%) who were sent the survey completed. Among them, 62.5% (20/32) replied their institutions operate MDT, while all responders thought that MDT is necessary clinical practice to cancer patients. Sixty percent of institutions which operate MDT, the meeting frequency was below twice/a week and the major cancer type by decision via MDT was head and neck cancer (60%;12/20), breast cancer (55%;11/20), and colorectal cancer (55%;11/20). Responderâ??s view toward the appropriateness for operating MDT of each institution was partially positive (65%;13/20). The major reasons of not showing attention to MDT were difficulty for scheduling time between multidisciplinary specialists at the same time, absence for any authority among specialists, and too much allocated time to MDT. While, top three suggestions for activation of MDT were respect for practice authority among different specialty, positive recognition for MDT, and raising the current cost of reimbursement. Conclusions: Our finding showed that more effective health care policy should be applied to incorporate multidisciplinary team to clinical practice for better cancer care in Korea.
Do Yeun Kim been graduated from EWHA Womens University as a Medical Doctor, with the specialties regarding hematology and medical oncology of Internal Medicine. Later on she obtained her PhD from Medical College of EWHA Womens University and MPH from Graduate School of Public Health Yonsei University. She started working at the Dongguk Universith Ilsan Hospital and has continued her clinical practice and research at that institution, up to now.
E-mail: seog@bohun.or.kr
