Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 1) | Page 112

Multidisciplinary Team

Dear Students of Social Work,
As problems are viewed more holistically, interventions need to be provided
by a wider range of services working closer together. In today’s context, many
professionals who work in an agency, work in a multidisciplinary way or at
least there is an expectation to do so. What does such a team look like, how
does it work and how does such a team bring about better results?

Need for Multidisciplinary Teams
The need for multidisciplinary team (MDT) work is increasing as a result of a
number of factors including:
(a) An aging population with frail older people and larger numbers of patients
with more co-morbidities and complex needs associated with chronic
diseases;
(b) The increasing complexity of skills and knowledge required to provide
comprehensive care to patients or services to clients; and
(c) No one-care professional being able to meet all the complex needs of
their clients or patients.

What is a Multidisciplinary Team?
Quite typically, an MDT is a group of specially-trained professionals who
are brought together to attend to an individual who may be a patient in
a healthcare setting or a client in the case of a social setting. Sometimes,
it is a team that a doctor will bring together to treat the patient’s medical
symptoms, including the psycho-social and emotional, as well as the physical
aspects. The doctor will draw upon the MDT’s varied skill-set to manage the
patient’s condition as effectively as possible.
Because the team has a wide range of expertise, this will enable them to
advise on a number of aspects, from medication and mobility to drooling
and diet. The aim is to reduce the number of separate nursing or social work
assessments for patients.
111