Physician perceptions of a multidisciplinary endocarditis team

Infectious endocarditis is a highly morbid infection that requires coordination of care across medical and surgical specialties, often through the use of a multidisciplinary team model. Multiple studies have demonstrated that such conferences can improve clinical outcomes. However, little is known about physicians' impressions of these groups. We surveyed 126 (response rate of 30%) internal medicine, infectious diseases, cardiology, and cardiac surgery providers 1 year after the implementation of an endocarditis team at the University of Michigan. Ninety-eight percent of physicians felt that the endocarditis team improved communication between specialties. Additionally, over 85% of respondents agreed that the group influenced diagnostic evaluation, reduced management errors, increased access to surgery, and decreased in-hospital mortality for endocarditis patients. These results suggest that multidisciplinary endocarditis teams are valued by physicians as a tool to improve patient care and serve an important role in increasing communication between providers.