Respiratory Futures recently spoke to Eihab O Bedawi on behalf of John M Wrightson, Najib M Rahman the National Pleural MDT. Eihab shares with us some information on the new National Pleural MDT, as well as how to get involved.
What are the drivers behind setting up this National Pleural MDT?
Pleural disease is common and can often present significant diagnostic and management challenges that may not be specifically addressed by a guideline or where there may not necessarily a single correct course of action. The main driver behind setting up a National Pleural MDT was the creation of a national network and regular forum to discuss and advise on complex pleural disease cases. The MDT includes physicians, thoracic surgeons, pathologists and radiologists from around the UK with expertise in pleural disease.
We hope it will also be an opportunity for shared learning, as well as an opportunity to identify areas of unmet research need or where future guidelines or a national consensus statement may be required to address.
What is the intended purpose of the new National Pleural MDT?
The main aim is to provide a useful resource for clinicians to access expert advice on complex cases, which will hopefully improve outcomes and consistency of care by facilitating multidisciplinary discussion. We hope it will also be an opportunity for shared learning, as well as an opportunity to identify areas of unmet research need or where future guidelines or a national consensus statement may be required to address.
How will the National Pleural MDT run? Where will it be based, and who would find it useful?
The National Pleural MDT will be an exclusively virtual MDT to facilitate inclusivity and accessibility. It will be hosted by the Oxford Pleural Unit at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford. We aim to run the MDT once every 2 months via Microsoft Teams. Any healthcare professional is welcome to refer a case for discussion and to attend. We kindly ask that once a case is accepted for discussion, any relevant radiology is transferred via the secure Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) as well as pathology specimens/reports to be shared where possible. A formal letter with details of the discussion will be provided after the MDT.
If people have further questions or wonder if joining is for them, where can people find more information?
If you would like to refer a case, please send details at least 1 week before the planned date of the MDT to pleural.unit@nhs.net. Any enquiries regarding the MDT process can also be made to this email address. Please also email this address if you would like to be sent the invitation (from an NHS or hospital email account).
The first meeting will be Wednesday 7th February 2pm.