10.26686/wgtn.12692354.v1 Kevin Dew Kevin Dew M Stubbe M Stubbe L Signal L Signal J Stairmand J Stairmand E Dennett E Dennett J Koea J Koea A Simpson A Simpson D Sarfati D Sarfati C Cunningham C Cunningham L Batten L Batten L Ellison-Loschmann L Ellison-Loschmann J Barton J Barton M Holdaway M Holdaway Cancer Care Decision Making in Multidisciplinary Meetings Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington 2020 cancer decision making health care teamwork observation research qualitative Health services & systems Cancer health care, teamwork research, qualitative Clinical Decision-Making Group Processes Humans Interdisciplinary Communication Neoplasms New Zealand Patient Care Team Qualitative Research Science & Technology Social Sciences Technology Information Science & Library Science Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Biomedical Social Sciences - Other Topics Biomedical Social Sciences INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM MEETINGS PALLIATIVE CARE COLON-CANCER HOSPICE MANAGEMENT HEALTH TALK Nursing Public Health and Health Services Medical and Health Sciences Studies in Human Society Psychology and Cognitive Sciences 2020-07-22 22:04:31 Journal contribution https://openaccess.wgtn.ac.nz/articles/journal_contribution/Cancer_Care_Decision_Making_in_Multidisciplinary_Meetings/12692354 © The Author(s) 2014. Little research has been undertaken on the actual decision-making processes in cancer care multidisciplinary meetings (MDMs). This article was based on a qualitative observational study of two regional cancer treatment centers in New Zealand. We audiorecorded 10 meetings in which 106 patient cases were discussed. Members of the meetings categorized cases in varying ways, drew on a range of sources of authority, expressed different value positions, and utilized a variety of strategies to justify their actions. An important dimension of authority was encountered authority - the authority a clinician has because of meeting the patient. The MDM chairperson can play an important role in making explicit the sources of authority being drawn on and the value positions of members to provide more clarity to the decision-making process. Attending to issues of process, authority, and values in MDMs has the potential to improve cancer care decision making and ultimately, health outcomes.