P094 Evaluating the outcomes and effectiveness of a dermatology–rheumatology multidisciplinary team meeting at a tertiary centre in the UK

Abstract Multidisciplinary team (MDT) working can improve patient care and treatment efficiency [Sayers S, Lam D, Shah Q et al. Impact on patient outcomes of spondyloarthritis-inflammatory bowel disease multi-disciplinary meetings. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2025; 64: 815–20]. MDT meetings are being increasingly used for management of complex conditions, including psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and spondyloarthritis. A monthly hour-long dermatology–rheumatology MDT meeting was initiated in September 2022, consisting of dermatology and rheumatology consultants, resident doctors, clinical nurse specialists and students. Primary objectives were to increase integrated decision making and reduce clinical decision-making time for patients requiring joint care. Secondary objectives included hypothetically saving clinic appointments, reducing administrative queries from primary care, and enhancing learning and professional development for attendees. We present a retrospective, observational review to evaluate the effectiveness of this MDT meeting. Data were collected from meeting outcomes, patient records and a clinician survey conducted after implementation of the MDT meeting. In total, 245 cases (193 female, 52 male) were discussed across 24 meetings from September 2022 to December 2024. Referral origin was 59 cases (24%) from dermatology and 181 (74%) from rheumatology, with 5 cases under joint care. The reason for referral was diagnosis in 64% of cases, treatment (initiation or switch) in 24% of cases, monitoring or referral advice in 11% of cases and other in 1% of cases. The most common diagnostic query was regarding rashes. Patients discussed at MDT meetings included those with psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, spondylarthroses, connective tissue disease, scleroderma and vasculitis. In total, 21 responses were received from the clinician survey (15 consultants, 5 resident doctors, 1 clinical nurse specialist). Experience of the meeting was rated as ‘excellent’ by 16 respondents, ‘good’ by 3 and ‘satisfactory’ by 2. The quality of advice provided by the MDT was objectively rated as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ by 95% (20 of 21 respondents). More than half of clinicians surveyed (12 of 21) felt that their professional learning had increased ‘a great deal’ and 19 of 21 respondents agreed that the meeting promoted collaboration between the specialties. All respondents wanted to either continue monthly meetings or increase their frequency. The dermatology–rheumatology MDT meeting has optimized patient care with efficient management of complex cases and timely facilitation of treatment, while ensuring that the therapies chosen treated both conditions. The meeting promotes improved collaborative communication between specialties and provides an opportunity for clinicians’ professional development. There have been reduced referrals into relevant specialties and a perceived reduction in general practitioner advice and guidance requests. Those patients still requiring a specialty appointment had direct referral via the meeting, reducing the administrative burden on primary care, and ensuring timely addition to waiting lists.