Speak up! Factors that influence involvement of nurses in oncological multidisciplinary team meetings

Purpose – Nurses are capable of acting as advocates for patients since they hold valuable knowledge on patient preferences and their psychosocial needs. Yet, in practice they tend to contribute little to multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTMs). This study analyses the factors that influence whether or not nurses will speak up and increase patient-centred decision-making in MDTMs.
Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study with cross-case comparison of twelve tumour groups across two Belgian hospitals was conducted. Data collection involved fifty structured non-participant observations and 41 semi-structured interviews with participants from the twelve tumour groups.
Originality/value – This study yields factors that increase the opportunities for nurses to speak up in MDTMs to enhance patient-centred decision-making. The findings help in the design of future interventions concerning multidisciplinary teamwork, that address nurses’ contributions to augment patient-centred care.