Role of a Regional Multidisciplinary Conference in the Diagnosis of Interstitial Lung Disease

Rationale: The interstitial lung disease (ILD) specialists in Vancouver participate in a multidisciplinary discussion (MDD) that is primarily used internally for patients seen by these specialists. The MDD is also used remotely (externally) by general pulmonologists to increase access to this service.Objectives: To describe the impact of an MDD on the diagnosis and management of ILD in these two patient cohorts, and to report the satisfaction of referring pulmonologists with this service.Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included patients who underwent MDD review between March 2014 and June 2017. Data were extracted from standardized MDD records and comparisons were made between the internal and external ILD cohorts. Pulmonologists who used the external review service completed an anonymous survey addressing their satisfaction with components of the MDD.Results: The 209 internal patients and 91 external patients had similar clinical characteristics. MDD review led to a change in diagnosis ...