Multidisciplinary working, evidence, treatment, and decision-making in medicine

Abstract

Patients have many needs and not all can be met using the medical model, hence the necessity of multiple therapeutic models and multidisciplinary working. Doctors’ sapiental role relies on evidence from research which can vary in quality. Quantitative and qualitative research are both useful. Randomized controlled trials with blinded assessments are the best method of assessing treatment effectiveness. Objectives of treatment should be jointly decided between doctor and patient and are often not simply about cure. Mechanisms of action of intervention do not always reverse disease progress but may involve other processes such as indirect compensation. Medication has many complex effects, both therapeutic and adverse. The medical model allows doctors to see many patients and work in emergency situations including providing overnight cover. This is because after the initial assessment, further assessments can be brief and if medication is used it is usually taken outside consultations. This ability to see many patients at all hours means mental health services will often include doctors using the medical model.