MDT Coordination Software
CAREFUL is a coordination platform for clinical teams, used as MDT coordination software. It turns multidisciplinary team meeting decisions into tracked actions that name what's happening next and who is responsible — ensuring outcomes agreed in MDTs are carried out, not lost in minutes.
CAREFUL is a coordination platform for clinical teams, used as MDT coordination software. It turns multidisciplinary team meeting decisions into tracked actions that name what's happening next and who is responsible — ensuring outcomes agreed in MDTs are actually carried out, not lost in minutes.
MDT coordination is part of the post-EMR coordination layer: the system that answers the three questions that EMRs and minutes cannot — what's happening now, what's happening next, and who is responsible.
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Cancer care depends on multidisciplinary teams, but getting a surgeon, an oncologist, and a radiologist into the same meeting with the right information in front of them is tricky. Decisions can be delayed. Audit trails can be hard to come by.
CAREFUL gives every MDT a single live shared list. Each patient's status shows where they are on the pathway and how long they've been there. Anyone on the team can see what's ready for discussion, what's still waiting, and which actions are open. Each team has its own list, forms, and summary fields, so the data fits the way things already work.
Lisa is the urology MDT coordinator. Robert Hargreaves, 69, has a raised PSA and a Gleason score of 3+4. His structured referral form data can be entered manually or come from other sources such as the EMR, lab systems, even PACS. Now it's complete, he is listed for discussion.
However, the radiology review of his MRI isn't available. Instead of waiting for a meeting, Lisa creates an action: review the MRI for MDT, which she assigns to Dr Andrew Shaw in radiology. Due date, tomorrow. It's owned, dated, and visible to the whole team.
Dr Shaw gets a notification and picks it up on his phone between lists. He opens Robert's record, adds his report, and marks the action complete. No email, no chasing, and his report sits next to the rest of the data where the team can see it. Dr Rachel Byrne, the oncologist, does the same. She reviews the case, adds her opinion on radiotherapy, and completes her actions. The case is now fully prepared before anyone meets.
Where an asynchronous conversation helps, the team can use the secure chat. Lisa tags the consultant urologist, Mr James Reed, and links Robert's record directly in the message. James replies with his view. The discussion stays confidential, not lost on a personal messaging app. When it's quicker to talk face-to-face, individuals can use video or audio calls.
The MDT recommendation is recorded on Robert's record: robotic radical prostatectomy with adjuvant radiotherapy depending on full histology. His status moves to Discussed, so everyone can see his case has been through the MDT.
Then the follow-up. Consent for surgery goes to Mr Reed. Booking a preoperative assessment goes to Chris, the second coordinator. Every recommendation becomes an action with a named owner and a due date. From the team's action list, Lisa can see every open action across the MDT, who owns it, and what's overdue. And every step – who did what and when – is recorded in the patient's log. And all of this can be written back to your EMR as the single source of truth.
CAREFUL lets MDTs work asynchronously on web and mobile without losing the thread. Faster decisions, clear accountability, and a complete record for every patient. Search the web for CAREFUL MDT.
Transcript edited from automatic captions.
The problem
The MDT meets. Clinicians discuss complex cases. Decisions are made. Then the meeting ends — and the actions scatter. They live in letters, in notebooks, in someone's memory. Three weeks later, the patient returns and no one can confirm whether the agreed plan was carried out.
The gap is structural, not clinical. MDT meetings are designed to make decisions. They are not designed to track what happens next. CAREFUL closes that gap.
How CAREFUL handles MDT coordination
After an MDT discussion, actions are created in CAREFUL: investigation requests, referrals, follow-up appointments, treatment decisions. Each action has a named owner, a due date and visibility to every team involved in that patient's care.
If the action requires another team — pathology, radiology, surgery — it travels as a referral with a conversation thread. The originating team can see whether it has been accepted and acted upon.
At the next MDT, the team reviews the patient's action history. Outstanding items are immediately visible. Nothing relies on someone remembering to check.
Not every MDT decision requires a meeting. CAREFUL's shared patient view allows teams to review and update plans between meetings — adding notes, completing actions, flagging concerns. The formal MDT becomes a review of progress, not a discovery of what was missed.
Cases can be prepared before anyone meets. Each MDT works from a single live list showing every patient's status and how long they have been there. If a case is missing something — a radiology review of an MRI, say — the coordinator assigns it as an action with a due date. The radiologist gets a notification, picks it up on their phone between lists, adds the report and completes the action. The report sits next to the rest of the patient's data, and the case arrives at the meeting ready for discussion.
Where a conversation helps, the team uses secure chat with the patient's record linked in the message, or an audio or video call. The MDT recommendation is recorded on the patient's record and their status moves to Discussed, so everyone can see the case has been through the MDT. From the team's action list, the coordinator sees every open action, who owns it and what is overdue.
Structured MDT data
Every patient referred to an MDT appears on one shared list, with a status field that tracks them from referral and investigation to listing, discussion and treatment, using colour-coded indicators. The list can show everything the MDT needs for a detailed discussion: the structured referral form, imaging, pathology, the discussion, the decision and progress.
Read the transcript
This is CAREFUL, set up for a cancer multidisciplinary team. The demo organisation includes both liver and urology tumour boards. For simplicity, this video concentrates on a liver cancer patient. Please note that all the elements and fields shown here can be tailored to your exact needs.
Every patient referred to the liver MDT appears on one shared list. The status field tracks them through the pathway, from referral and investigation to listing, discussion, and treatment, with colour-coded indicators. Within the team view, you can show all the relevant details for every patient. The list provides the MDT with everything they need for a detailed discussion. This includes a structured referral form, imaging, and pathology, a description of the discussion, the decision, and progress.
By clicking into a patient record, we can see their demographics as well as information such as height, weight, BMI, and ECOG performance status alongside smoking and alcohol history. Because these are stored at the patient level, every team sees the same values for such fields.
The summary form for the liver MDT captures the specifics for patients in this group. First of all, we have diagnosis: the ICD-10 code and free text, the date of first diagnosis, whether the tumour is primary, and how the diagnosis was confirmed. It also includes risk factors, autoimmune disease, and organ transplant. Moreover, when a transplant is recorded, the details are captured too, as we'll see in a moment.
Tumour staging covers BCLC stage, clinical TNM, main localisation, as well as tumour size, vascular invasion from V0 to V2, metastases and their site, recurrence, and any other tumour diseases. In this case, we can see BCLC C with macroscopic portal vein invasion.
The summary form also includes liver function, aetiology, cirrhosis, and Child-Pugh class with the laboratory values for bilirubin, albumin, creatinine, INR, and sodium. The ALBI and MELD scores sit alongside this, together with CRAFITY for patients starting immunotherapy. It also includes markers AFP, LDH, CEA, and CA19-9. Then pathology: the date of the finding, the report text, and the pathological TNM.
Finally, it shows any treatment history as a data table, so previous TACE sessions, surgery, and systemic therapy can be shown over time. For this patient, a liver transplant recipient with recurrence, the transplanted organ is recorded and the explant pathology stays with the referral: complete cirrhosis, necrotic tumour nodules, and tumour-free margins.
The MDT's discussion and decision are recorded against the patient next to the referral. Each follow-up is an action assigned to a named clinician with a due date, and the outcome letter is saved as a note, so the plan is tracked through to completion.
Patients can have more than one cancer. This patient is discussed at both the liver and the urology MDT. Each board keeps its own referral form and diagnosis while the shared measurements stay with the patient.
CAREFUL gives your MDT one live shared record of every patient, structured the same way across all your cancer teams, configured to your exact needs.
Transcript edited from automatic captions.
Each MDT has its own summary form, built around the specifics of its patients. For a liver MDT, that means diagnosis with the ICD-10 code; staging, including BCLC and TNM, tumour size, vascular invasion and metastases; liver function, with Child-Pugh class and laboratory values; ALBI and MELD scores; tumour markers; pathology; and treatment history as a data table, so previous TACE sessions, surgery and systemic therapy can be seen over time.
Measurements such as height, weight, BMI, ECOG performance status, and smoking and alcohol history are stored at patient level, so every team sees the same values. A patient discussed at both the liver and the urology MDT keeps a separate referral form and diagnosis for each board, while the shared measurements stay with the patient. Every element and field can be configured to your MDT's needs.
Frequently asked questions
What is MDT coordination software?
MDT coordination software captures the decisions made in multidisciplinary team meetings and tracks them through to completion. CAREFUL turns MDT outcomes into assigned, owned actions with due dates and audit trails — ensuring what was agreed in the meeting is actually carried out.
Why do MDT decisions get lost?
MDT decisions are typically recorded in meeting minutes or letters that no one actively monitors. There is no system for tracking whether each decision was carried out, by whom, or by when. CAREFUL closes this gap by turning each decision into a tracked action with a named owner.
How does CAREFUL track MDT outcomes?
After an MDT discussion, actions are created in CAREFUL: investigation requests, referrals, follow-ups, treatment decisions. Each has a named owner, a due date and visibility to every team involved. If the action requires another team, it travels as a referral with a conversation thread and accept/reject workflow.
Can CAREFUL handle cancer MDTs specifically?
Yes. CAREFUL is used for cancer pathway coordination, including tumour boards and cancer MDTs. MDT decisions become tracked actions that follow the patient across diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. See the cancer coordination page →
Can CAREFUL capture structured MDT data?
Yes. Each MDT has its own structured referral and summary forms, configured to the fields it needs — for a liver MDT, for example, diagnosis and ICD-10 code, staging, liver function and laboratory values, tumour markers, pathology and treatment history. Measurements such as height, weight, BMI and ECOG performance status are stored at patient level, so a patient discussed at more than one MDT keeps one set of shared values while each board keeps its own form.
Does CAREFUL integrate with the EMR for MDT coordination?
CAREFUL works alongside any EMR via FHIR, HL7v2 ADT and direct API integration through Mirth Connect. Patient demographics sync automatically; structured notes and completed actions can be pushed back to the EMR.