A systematic scoping review of multidisciplinary teamworking in surgical services: a need for bariatric surgery research

To identify and map the extent and nature of published research investigating multidisciplinary teamworking in surgical services and evaluate the relevance of the evidence base in the context of bariatric surgery. CINAHL, Embase and Scopus databases were searched from inception up to June 2022 for observational studies that examined multidisciplinary teamworking in surgical services. A narrative approach was taken for data synthesis. From the 483 articles screened, eight studies met the inclusion criteria and were included. Most studies examined oncology teams (n = 4); in the multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting setting (n = 4); and used a quantitative methodology (n = 5). Qualitative study sample sizes ranged from 11-88 participants and quantitative study sample sizes ranged from 47-1,636 participants or, where patient cases were instead sampled, numbers of patient cases ranged from 50-298. The range of professional groups included in each study varied, although all studies included nurses. Despite multidisciplinary teamworking being a recommended and widely adopted approach to delivering patient care in surgery, only eight published studies were identified, and no studies have been published in the context of bariatric surgery. There is a need for further research to examine multidisciplinary teamworking in surgical services, and especially in bariatric surgery.