A Multidisciplinary Whole-Process Management System for Enhancing Patient Experience: From Admission to Discharge

Imagine the human body as a bustling, complex city. When a major problem strikes—like a sudden storm damaging a bridge or a power outage in the financial district—you don't want just one person to try to fix it. You need a traffic engineer, an electrician, a construction crew, and a communications expert all talking to each other at the same time. In medicine, this team approach is called Multidisciplinary Treatment (MDT). Instead of a patient visiting a heart doctor, then a lung doctor, then a surgeon, and hoping they all remember to talk to each other, an MDT brings all those experts together in one room (or one digital space) to build a single, perfect plan for that specific person.

However, for a long time, getting these experts to work together smoothly was like trying to herd cats. Sometimes they couldn't agree on a meeting time, sometimes the patient got lost between departments, and sometimes the plan fell apart once the patient left the hospital. This paper from Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital asks a big question: How do we build a "super-system" that keeps this team working together from the moment a patient walks in the door until they go home and beyond? The researchers wanted to see if they could create a seamless, whole-process management system that makes sure no patient falls through the cracks and that the experts are actually talking to each other effectively.

The "One-Stop Shop" for Health

The researchers at Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital decided to stop treating MDT as just a occasional meeting and turn it into a full-time, high-tech operation. They built what they call a Multidisciplinary Whole-Process Management System (MDTWPMS). Think of this system as a super-smart conductor for a massive orchestra. Before, the musicians (doctors) might have been playing different tunes, or the sheet music (patient data) might have been in different folders. This new system ensures everyone is playing the same song, at the same time, with the right notes.

Here is how they pulled it off:

1. The "1+1+N+1" Team Structure
Instead of a chaotic free-for-all, they organized their teams with a clear hierarchy. Imagine a sports team: you have one main coach (the center), a lead player (the leading department), a whole squad of specialists (the N disciplines), and a scoreboard that tracks how well they are playing (the index evaluation system). They also appointed specific "discussion chairs" to make sure the meetings actually happened and didn't just turn into coffee breaks. They even added pharmacists (medicine experts) and nurses to the team to make sure the plan was safe and could actually be followed.

2. The Digital Brain
The hospital built a custom information platform, which acts like a central nervous system for the hospital.

• The Trigger: When a doctor types in a keyword like "tumor" or "rare disease," the system automatically sounds an alarm, saying, "Hey, this patient needs a team meeting!"
• The Meeting Room: Experts can join via video call or in-person. The system pulls up all the patient's X-rays, blood tests, and history instantly, so no one has to hunt for files.
• The Tracker: It follows the patient like a GPS. It reminds the doctors to check if the treatment is working and sends a text message to the patient when it's time for a follow-up. It even tracks if the patient is actually coming back for their next appointment.

3. Different Flavors of MDT
They realized one size doesn't fit all, so they created different types of teams:

• Compact MDT: For serious, high-priority diseases like cancer. This is a tight-knit group that meets regularly and gets full support from the hospital.
• Loose MDT: For other complex cases where experts might not meet as often but still need to collaborate.
• Specialized Clinics: They set up specific clinics for things like obesity, insomnia, and difficult constipation, where a team of three or more experts sees the patient together in one go. This saves the patient from running from room to room.

4. The Scoreboard
How do you know if the system is working? You can't just guess. The hospital created a massive "scoreboard" with 40 different metrics. They track things like how many patients are seen, how long they stay in the hospital, how many new research projects the team starts, and even how happy the patients are. It's like a video game where the hospital earns points for better care, faster service, and happier people.

The Results: A Bigger, Better Team

When they put this whole system into action, the results were pretty impressive. Before the new system, the hospital was handling about 413 MDT cases per year. After they built their "super-system," that number jumped to 1,000 cases per year. That's more than double the number of patients getting this high-level, team-based care!

But it wasn't just about numbers; it was about feelings. The researchers asked the patients how they felt about their care.

• Satisfaction: Before, 82.54% of patients were happy. After the new system, 91.42% were happy.
• Trust: The feeling that the hospital "gets" them (recognition) went from 84.34% to 92.21%.
• Loyalty: The feeling that they would come back or recommend the hospital to a friend (loyalty) rose from 84.50% to 91.32%.

The doctors also seemed to get on board better. The system helped break down the walls between different departments. Instead of the heart doctor ignoring the lung doctor, they were now in the same digital room, discussing the patient's plan together. The system even helped them handle the most difficult cases by bringing in outside experts via remote video calls if the local team got stuck.

What This Means

The paper suggests that when you give doctors a clear structure, a cool digital tool, and a way to measure their success, they can work together much better. The "whole-process" part is key—it means the care doesn't stop when the patient leaves the hospital. The system keeps an eye on them, making sure the treatment plan is followed and that they get the help they need later on.

The authors admit that this isn't a magic wand that fixes everything instantly, but it is a strong step forward. They found that by organizing their teams, using technology to connect the dots, and constantly checking their performance, they could make the hospital run smoother and, most importantly, make the patients' lives easier and their treatment more effective. It's a reminder that in a complex world, the best way to solve a problem is often to get the right team together, give them the right tools, and keep them working as one unit.