Date

7-31-2023

Department

Graduate School of Business

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Chair

Terrence Duncan

Keywords

Interdisciplinary (Multidisciplinary) Care, Multidisciplinary Team (MDT), Social Systems Theory (STS).

Disciplines

Business

Abstract

The purpose of this casual comparative quantitative study addressed the lack of individual-level data on the effectiveness of multidisciplinary care teams for cancer patients in rural hospitals. The research questions sought to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of multidisciplinary care teams for cancer patients in rural hospitals and the roadblocks for successful implementation. The study utilized the pragmatism paradigm to focus on the problem rather than the view of reality. This study was conducted with a fixed design using quantitative methods, specifically, casual comparative. This research worked within the framework of a well-established theory prevalent in the pertinent literature: Social Systems Theory. The actors in this casual comparative study included the healthcare organizations, Ackerville Regional Healthcare and Pinkerton Medical Center, administration, clinic managers, and medical teams. Independent variables included partnership, cooperation, and coordination within multidisciplinary cancer teams and the dependent variable was the provision of quality patient care. This study operated from a Biblical perspective. This study sought to fill gaps in the information of why this phenomenon persists. The results of a Kruskal-Wallis Test revealed statistical significance in multidisciplinary care teams between collaboration score (Kruskal-Wallis = 26.34, p < .001), partnership score (Kruskal-Wallis = 37.67, p < .001), and coordination score (Kruskal-Wallis = 24.95, p < .001). Multidisciplinary teams support patient outcomes through coordination in ways that use the resources of time, tools, and skills more effectively.

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