The unannounced standardised patient methodology--a potential feedback tool for registrar training

The external clinical teaching visits (ECTV) remain the primary method of monitoring registrar progress and provide valuable feedback. The unannounced standardised patient (USP) methodology may represent an innovative tool to assess registrar performance and provide feedback that could complement the current ECTV program.

This article provides an overview of current feedback processes in registrar training, presents a review of the literature on the USP as an innovative performance assessment tool, and proposes its potential application for general practice registrar training as an effective audit and feedback tool.

The USP methodology has been thoroughly tested, validated and embraced by many countries. Recently, the USP tool has been described as the validated, gold standard methodology to discriminate among variations in the quality of clinical practice. Most studies have used the USP tool to assess actual performance of practising doctors, with minimal attention being given to its potential as a feedback/teaching tool. The use of the USP for this purpose represents an opportunity for further research.