BIO23-021: Digital Multidisciplinary Meetings Enable Regional Specialist Oncology Treatment

Background: The technological revolution within the medical field spurred on by the global pandemic has resulted in changes in the possible medical landscape. Within the South African medical infrastructure, the differences in medical care provided to patients due to specialist availability varies between different regions within the country drastically. The use of a full digital support system resulted in a new service provision of MDM expertise offered to a variety of allied health professionals independent of region and thus improved MDM access to a greater range of patients. Methodology: Existing treatment plans provided for patients attending the center from outside of the reasonable treatment range (3-6 hour travel) was provided via written report to allied healthcare providers for treatment remotely. Post digitalisation the existing service offering was expanded to include the Multidisciplinary meetings with recorded treatment discussion radiological review and pathological support, this coupled with interactive treatment decisions provided from top tier academic specialists in the surgical oncological and radiation fields allows for treatment support of regional patients to be provided by the centralised digital MDM team Further inclusion of controlled cloud patient database sets including Clinical, radiological and pathological diagnostic information coupled with outlined treatment plans provided members with a reference database for treatment and research collaborations. Results: An increase in regional referrals of patients both digitally and in-person numbers of patients seen over the SARs pandemic and increase number of specialists joining the MDM has been seen due to an increased relationship being developed between the MDM team and regional healthcare providers. Assessments from 2020 to 2022 show in an 46% increase in MDM capacity for specialists (23 members to 35) and a 17% increase in weekly newly diagnosed patients, specifically associated with regional members (exceeding 100 new patients per annum). Conclusion: Digital MDM enable specialists centers to support regional allied healthcare providers enabling top quality guideline-based care to be provided for a wider demographic of patients normally excluded due to logistical and resource limitations. Standardisations and implementation of Regionally supportive digital MDT meetings would enable treatment support without increasing costs to centers or patients.