Introduction: Problems and Prospects for Multidisciplinary Team Meetings

The MDTsInAction research programme developed from early conversations around how formulation and decision-making works in multidisciplinary mental health teams, to the elaboration of a research programme that would interrogate how this communication worked. MDT meetings offer a particular research focus representing a “microcosm” of interprofessional working, ideal for interrogating face-to-face communications. A systematic literature review of the effects of poor communication revealed implications for service users, institutions and staff, including delays and inadequacies in care, and staff burnout. Power and hierarchy, and representing service user voices, were key themes relevant to poor communication. This provided a rational for studying MDT communication in teams. An overview of the book is provided, identifying the key themes: methods, clinical applications, service user concerns and interventions.