This review examined whether the increased attention on multidisciplinary care (MDC) in cancer over the last 10 years has been underpinned by an increase in methodologically vigorous intervention research in this field. Electronic search of Medline and CINAHL databases. This review examined whether the proportion of (1) data-based and (2) intervention research meeting Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) criteria increased between two time periods (1997-2001 and 2002-2006). Papers meeting the following inclusion criteria were identified: relevant to MDC for cancer patients; included the term 'multidisciplinary' in the abstract; published in English; published between 1997 and 2006. The proportion of data-based papers did not increase over time, nor did the proportion of intervention papers using EPOC-accepted designs. Only three intervention studies using EPOC-accepted designs were identified, all in the later time period. MDC is widely advocated in cancer care. This review indicates a pressing need to focus attention on the development of rigorous intervention research. Such research should answer important questions such as which models of MDC are most effective, for which outcomes and for which patients.
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