multidisciplinary team
A coordinated group of healthcare professionals from different specialties who collaboratively plan and deliver rehabilitation care for a single patient.
Full Definition
A multidisciplinary team (MDT) in clinical rehabilitation typically comprises physicians (often physiatrists), physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, rehabilitation nurses, psychologists, and social workers. The team convenes regularly—often in an MDT meeting or case conference—to set rehabilitation goals, review progress, and coordinate discharge planning. In editorial practice, 'multidisciplinary' should not be used interchangeably with 'interdisciplinary' or 'transdisciplinary', as each implies a different model of team integration. The abbreviation MDT is standard in UK clinical documents, while 'rehabilitation team' is often preferred in US contexts. Capitalisation of 'multidisciplinary team' is not required unless it is a formal unit name.
Usage
Usage note: Lower-case unless part of a formal unit name (e.g., 'the Neurological Multidisciplinary Team'). Do not use interchangeably with 'interdisciplinary team' without author confirmation.
In Context
- "The multidisciplinary team agreed that the patient was ready for discharge to a community rehabilitation program." — MDT meeting minutes
- "Goals were set collaboratively by the multidisciplinary team at the initial case conference." — Rehabilitation plan document