The Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) multidisciplinary meeting Position Statement

A position statement from the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Lung Foundation Australia*

Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) are a diverse group of pulmonary diseases for which accurate diagnosis is critical for optimal treatment outcomes. Diagnosis of ILD can be challenging and a multidisciplinary approach is recommended in international guidelines.

Lung Foundation Australia and The Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) have endorsed the position statement on the use of multidisciplinary meetings to improve diagnostic accuracy in interstitial lung disease (ILD).

The position paper reviews the evidence for the use of the multidisciplinary meeting (MDM) in ILD and suggest an approach to its governance and constitution, in an attempt to provide a standard methodology that could be applied across Australia and New Zealand.

It highlights the benefits of a standardised approach to the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD) with input from respiratory physicians, radiologists and pathologists. A review of the evidence showed about half of cases referred to a multidisciplinary meeting resulted in a change in diagnosis and subsequent management – with more specific diagnoses and fewer cases of unclassifiable ILD.