Abstract
Abstract
Background
Virtual multidisciplinary tumor boards (vMTBs) support oncologic care, but their real-world operational dynamics and how interdisciplinary interactions unfold are insufficiently characterized. Flow disruptions may interrupt communication and information exchange, potentially undermining efficient workflow and quality of clinical decisions.
Methods
This study investigated whether flow disruptions are associated with changes in information comprehensiveness during vMTBs in a thoracic cancer network. In an observational study, three trained observers monitored routine vMTB sessions and applied standardized tools to document, for each patient case, the occurrence and type of flow disruptions and to rate information comprehensiveness. The study used bi- and multivariable analyses, adjusting for relevant case- and session-level confounders, including case length and image presentation.
Results
The study included 146 registered patient cases and identified 392 flow disruptions (mean, 3.77 ± 3.08 per case). The most frequent disruption categories were audio quality issues (33.9%), impaired image visualization (27.6%), and difficulties in information retrieval and exchange (24.2%). In multivariable models, flow disruptions due to off-topic questions and issues attributable to the vMTB software were associated with lower information comprehensiveness, whereas flow disruptions related to poor visualization were associated with higher comprehensiveness.
Conclusion
Flow disruptions are common in vMTBs, and their impact varies by disruption type. These findings highlight actionable leverage points, particularly optimizing audio/visual clarity and improving software-supported information exchange, to strengthen information completeness relevant to surgical decision-making. Future studies should relate these workflow measures to clinical outcomes to investigate downstream effects of inefficient communication patterns in distributed tumor board settings.