Analysis of the multidisciplinary approach for the management of patients affected by chronic myeloid leukaemia

BACKGROUND: Chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) is a pathological clinical condition with a yearly incidence between 10 and 15 cases per million people, 14 in Italy. Its incidence increases with age, reaching 20–25 yearly cases per million individuals in people over 70 years. A growing importance has been given to the need of a multidisciplinary approach (MDA) for the management of patients with CML. OBJECTIVE: To analyse the importance of MDA as compared with the current Italian standard of care for the management of CML patients based on the involvement of several health professional figures. METHODS: A group of healthcare professionals from several healthcare structures were gathered in a first Advisory Board (AB) and divided into as many groups as the number of belonging health structures representative of the Italian provision of therapeutic approaches for CML. In a second AB, the results were validated by the same panel of experts. RESULTS: The number of dedicated health professionals within the dedicated ward ranged from 1 to 13. Most structures rely on several professionals intervening only in case of necessity. Only one centre provides a booking service based on clinical needs to avoid waiting times. Most centres report there is basically no disagreement in the definition of the clinical pathway and there is a high adherence to national and international CML guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: The development of forms of interorganisational and interprofessional coordination to improve the diagnosis and the treatment of CML patients have been for long on the agenda of policy makers, managers and professionals for more than 20 years. This analysis represents a starting reference to consider for the evaluation of an MDA in the Italian context.