MULTIDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION IN ACUTE CARDIAC CARE: ROLES, INTERFACES, AND OUTCOMES

Abstract

Multidisciplinary collaboration in acute cardiac care enhances diagnosis and treatment of the 4%–5% of hospitalised adults whose presentation includes an Electrocardiogram (ECG) indicating a cardiac event (Imran Hamid et al., 2023). Nevertheless, current European practice guidelines recommend changes to enhance care. The integrated Multidisciplinary Acute Cardiac Care Team (MACT) framework is implemented in multiple public hospital systems and large tertiary care networks. A systematic approach addresses the roles of core team members, interprofessional interfaces, and processes across pathways, thereby clarifying the multidisciplinary collaboration that supports timely and accurate management of patients.

Multidisciplinary collaboration entails the coordinated delivery of services within a defined time period across a specified patient pathway by two or more disciplines for a single patient or a defined patient group (Lala et al., 2020). Acute cardiac care depends on the rapid identification and treatment of patients presenting with cardiac conditions. ECG interpretation, echocardiography, and catheterisation represent critical interrelated activities. The need to manage acute cardiac conditions therefore justifies closer collaboration across the core disciplines involved in 12-lead ECG interpretation, echocardiography, right or left heart catheterisation, and physiological measurements, together with emergency medicine, the sending facility, and emergency medical services.