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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NCJournal of multidisciplinary healthcare

Culture in Multidisciplinary Tumor Conferences: An Exploratory Study of Clinical Decision Making in Two Breast Cancer Centers.

  • Till Jes Hansen1
  • Tamara P Schwertel1
  • Barbara Schellenberger2
  • Christian Heuser3
  • Jannika Rother2
  • Russell Mannion4
  • Ross Millar4
  • Holger Pfaff5
  • Lena Ansmann1
5 affiliations
  1. 1University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Chair of Medical Sociology, Cologne, Germany.
  2. 2University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Chair of Health Services Research, Cologne, Germany.
  3. 3University of Cologne, Faculty of Human Sciences & Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Chair of Health Services Research in Rehabilitation, Cologne, Germany.
  4. 4Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
  5. 5University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Cologne, Germany.
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Abstract

Till Jes Hansen,1 Tamara P Schwertel,1 Barbara Schellenberger,2 Christian Heuser,3 Jannika Rother,2 Russell Mannion,4 Ross Millar,4 Holger Pfaff,5 Lena Ansmann11University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Chair of Medical Sociology, Cologne, Germany; 2University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Chair of Health Services Research, Cologne, Germany; 3University of Cologne, Faculty of Human Sciences & Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Chair of Health Services Research in Rehabilitation, Cologne, Germany; 4Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; 5University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Cologne, GermanyCorrespondence: Till Jes Hansen, University Hospital Cologne AöR, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Kerpener Str. 62, Cologne, 50937, Germany, Email [email protected]: Despite a growing body of research into Multidisciplinary Tumor Conferences (MTCs), the specific relationship with organizational and team culture, especially in the context of Breast Cancer Centers (BCCs), is not well understood. Investigating this connection is critical to understanding how cultural norms, attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and behaviors shape clinical decision-making and multidisciplinary collaboration.Methods: This qualitative study explores the role of organizational and team culture within multidisciplinary tumor conferences in BCCs in Germany via the Grounded Theory Methodology. Analyzing secondary video and interview data from the Patient Participation in Multidisciplinary Tumor Conferences (PINTU) project, we compared two BCCs, each characterized by its own unique pattern of culture.Results: Nine interrelated cultural dimensions were identified: physical environment, hierarchy, efficiency, conflict and critique, communication patterns, documentation practices, team cohesion, overt patient empathy, and parallelities. Differences between the centers highlighted these dimensions. BCC1 was characterized by steep hierarchy, efficiency, a reserved emotional expression, formal communication, and outsourced documentation. In contrast, BCC2 featured flatter hierarchies, overt empathy, collective documentation, and greater space for informal dialogue.Conclusion: The marked differences between the two German BCCs highlight culture as a pivotal factor in shaping MTC collaboration. Future research into MTCs would benefit from adopting a cultural lens to enhance understanding of these multidisciplinary settings.Keywords: organizational culture, team culture, breast cancer, multidisciplinary tumor conference, grounded theory methodology, qualitative research

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{hansen2026culture,
  title = {{Culture in Multidisciplinary Tumor Conferences: An Exploratory Study of Clinical Decision Making in Two Breast Cancer Centers.}},
  author = {Till Jes Hansen and Tamara P Schwertel and Barbara Schellenberger and Christian Heuser and Jannika Rother and Russell Mannion and Ross Millar and Holger Pfaff and Lena Ansmann},
  journal = {Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.2147/jmdh.s615227},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953756},
  note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Culture in Multidisciplinary Tumor Conferences: An Exploratory Study of Clinical Decision Making in Two Breast Cancer Centers.
AU  - Till Jes Hansen
AU  - Tamara P Schwertel
AU  - Barbara Schellenberger
AU  - Christian Heuser
AU  - Jannika Rother
AU  - Russell Mannion
AU  - Ross Millar
AU  - Holger Pfaff
AU  - Lena Ansmann
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/24
JO  - Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare
DO  - 10.2147/jmdh.s615227
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953756
AB  - Till Jes Hansen,1 Tamara P Schwertel,1 Barbara Schellenberger,2 Christian Heuser,3 Jannika Rother,2 Russell Mannion,4 Ross Millar,4 Holger Pfaff,5 Lena Ansmann11University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Chair of Medical Sociology, Cologne, Germany; 2University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Chair of Health Services Research, Cologne, Germany; 3University of Cologne, Faculty of Human Sciences & Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Chair of Health Services Research in Rehabilitation, Cologne, Germany; 4Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; 5University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Cologne, GermanyCorrespondence: Till Jes Hansen, University Hospital Cologne AöR, Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science, Kerpener Str. 62, Cologne, 50937, Germany, Email [email protected]: Despite a growing body of research into Multidisciplinary Tumor Conferences (MTCs), the specific relationship with organizational and team culture, especially in the context of Breast Cancer Centers (BCCs), is not well understood. Investigating this connection is critical to understanding how cultural norms, attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and behaviors shape clinical decision-making and multidisciplinary collaboration.Methods: This qualitative study explores the role of organizational and team culture within multidisciplinary tumor conferences in BCCs in Germany via the Grounded Theory Methodology. Analyzing secondary video and interview data from the Patient Participation in Multidisciplinary Tumor Conferences (PINTU) project, we compared two BCCs, each characterized by its own unique pattern of culture.Results: Nine interrelated cultural dimensions were identified: physical environment, hierarchy, efficiency, conflict and critique, communication patterns, documentation practices, team cohesion, overt patient empathy, and parallelities. Differences between the centers highlighted these dimensions. BCC1 was characterized by steep hierarchy, efficiency, a reserved emotional expression, formal communication, and outsourced documentation. In contrast, BCC2 featured flatter hierarchies, overt empathy, collective documentation, and greater space for informal dialogue.Conclusion: The marked differences between the two German BCCs highlight culture as a pivotal factor in shaping MTC collaboration. Future research into MTCs would benefit from adopting a cultural lens to enhance understanding of these multidisciplinary settings.Keywords: organizational culture, team culture, breast cancer, multidisciplinary tumor conference, grounded theory methodology, qualitative research
SN  - 1178-2390
ER  -