Importance of interdisciplinarity in modern oncology: results of a national intergroup survey of the Young Oncologists United (YOU)

PURPOSE

Modern, personalized treatment concepts in oncology require an interdisciplinary and multiprofessional collaboration. In addition to its relevance in patient care, interdisciplinary collaboration is also becoming increasingly important in clinical research as well as medical education and resident training in oncology.

METHODS

Between November 2021 and March 2022, an online survey was conducted among German early career research groups, represented by Young Oncologists United (YOU). The aim was to identify the status and need for interdisciplinarity at clinic, educational, and research levels.

RESULTS

A total of 294 participants completed the questionnaire in full. 90.7% of the respondents fully or predominantly agreed with the statement that interdisciplinary work plays a major role in their daily clinical work. 78.9% wished for more interdisciplinary collaboration. Of the 49.7% of participants who have never participated in an interdisciplinary research project, 80.1% said they would like to participate in such a study project in the future. Lack of time resources, too much organizational effort, and possible political conflicts between institutions were identified as factors that make practical implementation difficult. 74.1% declared their willingness to become active in an oncology early career research group.

CONCLUSION

Interdisciplinary collaboration has become increasingly important in oncology. Networks that span different disciplines could help to promote interdisciplinary research projects among young scientists and improve exchange in professional practice and education with the implication of improved patient care.

[Post-COVIDLMU: implementation and evaluation of an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral healthcare and research network for evidence-based treatment of patients with severe post-COVID syndrome]

Post-COVID^LMU ist ein interdisziplinäres und sektorenübergreifendes Versorgungs- und Forschungsnetzwerk des LMU(Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität)-Klinikums. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf der Behandlung und Erforschung komplexer und schwerer Post-COVID(„coronavirus disease“)-Syndrom-Fälle bei Erwachsenen. Die Behandlung dieser Patientengruppe erfolgt interdisziplinär unter Einbezug zahlreicher Fachkliniken des LMU-Klinikums. Ergänzt wird das universitäre Behandlungsangebot durch moderne telemedizinische Sprechstunden, interdisziplinäre Fallkonferenzen unter Beteiligungsmöglichkeit der zuweisenden Kollegen*innen sowie der Möglichkeit für Patient*innen, an Studien der medizinischen Forschung zum Post-COVID-Syndrom teilzunehmen. Das LMU-Klinikum kooperiert eng mit niedergelassenen Ärzten*innen sowie verschiedenen Rehaeinrichtungen in Deutschland.

Improving structural development in oncology: transformation of theoretical health care standards and knowledge into a practical approach -- 2nd European Roundtable Meeting (ERTM), May 8, 2015, Berlin, Germany

PURPOSE

It is widely accepted that National Cancer Control Plans (NCCPs) are essential to improve cancer care. They often describe the structural requirements such as cancer centers, clinical cancer registries and quality control. During the 2nd European roundtable meeting, the implementation processes were analyzed and discussed.

RESULTS

Communication strategies between cancer registries and cancer centers need to be developed. Analyses and discussion of collected data have to be performed by multidisciplinary teams. This has to be followed by appropriate actions to improve quality of care. It is essential to describe the clinical procedures, organizational processes and communication between individuals and professional teams. The patients' perspectives have to be included in the development of cancer care networks. The patients' feedback on cancer care is a routine quality indicator.

CONCLUSION

NCCPs that include the description of structural requirements are important. In addition, it is essential to develop cancer care networks including multidisciplinary organizational processes to guarantee high quality. These have to consider patients preferences.

Of the Helmholtz Club, South-Californian seedbed for visual and cognitive neuroscience, and its patron Francis Crick

Taking up the view that semi-institutional gatherings such as clubs, societies, research schools, have been instrumental in creating sheltered spaces from which many a 20th-century project-driven interdisciplinary research programme could develop and become established within the institutions of science, the paper explores the history of one such gathering from its inception in the early 1980s into the 2000s, the Helmholtz Club, which brought together scientists from such various research fields as neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, psychophysics, computer science and engineering, who all had an interest in the study of the visual system and of higher cognitive functions relying on visual perception such as visual consciousness. It argues that British molecular biologist turned South Californian neuroscientist Francis Crick had an early and lasting influence over the Helmholtz Club of which he was a founding pillar, and that from its inception, the club served as a constitutive element in his long-term plans for a neuroscience of vision and of cognition. Further, it argues that in this role, the Helmholtz Club served many purposes, the primary of which was to be a social forum for interdisciplinary discussion, where 'discussion' was not mere talk but was imbued with an epistemic value and as such, carefully cultivated. Finally, it questions what counts as 'doing science' and in turn, definitions of success and failure-and provides some material evidence towards re-appraising the successfulness of Crick's contribution to the neurosciences.