Background

There is a long standing tradition of multidisciplinary team (MDT) review being routinely offered to lung cancer patients in Queensland (Qld). The establishment of Qld Integrated Lung Cancer Outcomes Project (QILCOP) and expansion to Qld Oncology On-line (QOOL) has allowed for the electronic capture of MDT activity and clinical data across Qld. The clinician led Qld Cancer Control Safety and Quality Partnership (CCSQP) has contributed initiatives which have supported the establishment and continuation of MDT review across Qld.  This paper describes the trend in MDT activity and influence of these initiatives on MDT activity.

Methods

Data were extracted from Qld Oncology Repository (QOR), a comprehensive repository which contains diagnosis, admission data, QILCOP and QOOL data on Qld lung cancer residents reviewed by MDT.

Results

In the 14 years between 2000 and 2013 there have been over 12,000 cases presented at participating lung cancer MDTs in Qld. The review rate for primary lung cancer increased from 26% to 48% between 2000 and 2011. The introduction of Clinical Practice Improvement Payment (CPIP) project saw an increase in the capture of data, with an increase in stage rate from 77% to 88% during the project.

Conclusion

With the support of the CCSQP, the provision of MDT coordinators to administer meetings, an online data capture tool more patients receive the benefit of MDT review and clinical data is able to be routinely captured by MDTs to be used to better understand clinical practice, patient outcomes and provide a valuable resource for research.