Mapping interdisciplinary teamwork in stroke across the care continuum: a rapid scoping review

Background: Interdisciplinary teamwork, delivered through multidisciplinary teams (MDTs), is widely recognised in high-quality stroke care. However, its definition, operationalisation and governance within clinical practice guidelines remain unclear. Aims: To map how guidelines describe the MDT and teamwork across stroke care. Methods: A rapid scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute and the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews. Documents were synthesised using the Donabedian framework, focusing on structural, process and implementation elements of interdisciplinary teamwork. Results: Some 21 documents were included (13 system-level and 8 topic-specific). Interdisciplinary teamwork was consistently endorsed and structurally embedded, particularly in stroke unit and rehabilitation models, but was primarily operationalised through task-based clinical processes rather than governed standardised multidisciplinary team structures. Leadership roles, co-ordination, ownership and measurable teamwork indicators were infrequently reported. Conclusions: A lack of Donabedian-aligned teamwork indicators constrains implementation, accountability and evaluation of interdisciplinary stroke care, particularly regarding nursing and allied health professional contributions.