The Role of Multidisciplinary Teams in Enhancing Patient Safety and Quality of Care: Insights from Saudi Vision 2030

Abstract

Background: The transformation of the healthcare sector has also been taking place as part of Saudi Vision 2030, in order to help improve the quality of care and patient safety. The realization of these goals requires the integration of Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs). Yet despite the awareness of these challenges, there is still communication barriers, hierarchical structures, and lack of inter professional collaboration which limits their full potentials in the Saudi healthcare settings. The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate how MDTs influence patient outcomes, safety and healthcare delivery quality to meet the scope of Saudi Vision 2030.
Aim: The study aims to systematically retrieve existing research that studies the usefulness of MDTs for enhancing patient safety and quality of healthcare in Saudi Arabia and to identify the challenges and strategies to facilitate their implementation.
Method: This review was performed based on the PRISMA guidelines following a thorough search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library databases of all studies published between 2020 and 2024. A total of 6,076 studies were screened rigorously for inclusion and 10 studies were included. Extracting and synthesizing key themes on collaborative care, patient safety and healthcare quality themes was performed using thematic analysis.
Results: From the analysis, it was clear that MDTs are of pivotal importance in the improvement of patient safety, decreasing of adverse events, and optimizing of healthcare outcomes. The key themes included increased communication, continuous patient monitoring, and optimized care delivery. However, there remains the barriers such as resistance to change, insufficient structured training and hierarchically limiting factors. The MDT practices identified need to align with Saudi Vision 2030 based on training and supportive policy framework.
Conclusion: The potential of integrating MDTs into Saudi healthcare has massive potential for improving patient safety and care quality, this is in line with Saudi Vision 2030 goals. In order to realize fully these benefits, challenges concerning training, communication and organizational culture must be addressed. Furthermore, research should be undertaken into how to move MDT adoption across various clinical settings, and thereby to design solutions to existing barriers.