Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria for systematic review on cost-effectiveness of MDT working

Studies comparing MDT care with no MDT care

Studies that are not comparative i.e. focus on MDT care only

Secondary care services i.e. hospital-based or community-based

Primary care

Study design – RCT, cohort, case–control, before and after, cross-sectional studies, or modelling studies

Ecological studies, case reports

Applied study (i.e. studies generating primary data or modelling of secondary data)

Methodological and general articles, expert opinion, letters and abstracts

Population – persons diagnosed with any diseases

Study setting – any country

MDTs are defined as:

Multidisciplinary ward rounds

a) Team members from a minimum of two disciplines making decisions; and

b) Regular team meetings to discuss diagnosis, treatment and/or patient management, occurring at a physical location or by tele-conferencing

Outcomes - health outcomes which are relevant to the disease being investigated

Costs – average costs of organising MDT meetings, average cost per patient treated, or incremental cost effectiveness ratios

Journal articles, grey literature

Books

English language

Foreign languages