Photo Credit: Liudmila Chernetska

Patients cited many benefits of multidisciplinary CRSwNP care, including personalized treatment and additional therapeutic options.

“Patients with [chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP)] may be seen by a specialist in one of several different areas and often experience delayed diagnosis due to the need to see multiple physicians,” researchers wrote in Clinical and Translational Allergy. “Multidisciplinary team (MDT) approaches have been shown to be effective in optimizing the treatment and clinical management of other respiratory diseases, such as aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease and severe asthma.”

Oliver Pfaar, MD, and colleagues aimed to provide insights regarding the benefits of an MDT approach in CRSwNP based on published literature, clinical experience, and patient experiences. They also examined barriers that prevent MDTs from “becoming the standard of care” in this patient population.

Advantages of MDT Approach & Barriers to Adoption

Study findings showed that the MDT approach was considered important from the patient’s perspective. When discussing the advantages of this approach for CRSwNP, patients cited “the potential positive impact of different ideas and methods for selecting the best treatment. ”

“Adopting an MDT approach may facilitate shared decision making and a personalized treatment course, as patients under the care of an MDT may be presented with a wider range of treatment options.”

The researchers highlighted additional benefits from the clinician’s perspective, including recurrence, a “key issue” for patients with CRSwNP and clinicians.

Dr. Pfaar and colleagues also addressed potential barriers to MDTs becoming the standard of care, including pathology review and clinicians’ access to it. Another barrier is the lack of consensus between different specialties on aspects of CRSwNP endotyping and indicators of treatment response in therapeutic decision-making.

Using An MDT Approach in Clinical Care

From this information, the researchers outlined key considerations for an MDT approach for CRSwNP, which include:

• What specialties should be involved in the MDT?
• At what stage of diagnosis and management does the MDT need to be involved?
• What are the financial implications of MDT care for CRSwNP?
• How can the patient be involved in shared decision-making?
• Are there barriers to MDT management and access to consider?
• What lessons can be taken from existing approaches in other diseases?

“To provide more uniform patient care in CRSwNP, specific guidance on the importance of MDTs and practical advice on developing an MDT approach from organizations … and key professional societies are needed,” Dr. Pfaar and colleagues wrote.