Multisource feedback questionnaires in appraisal and for revalidation: a qualitative study in UK general practice

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Professional Development
• Healthcare Quality Assurance

Background:

• UK revalidation policies mandate multisource feedback (MSF) from patients and colleagues for doctor appraisal.
• This feedback serves as supporting information for performance appraisal and ongoing revalidation processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore General Practitioners' (GPs) and appraisers' perspectives on utilizing multisource feedback (MSF) data within the appraisal system.
• To investigate the perceived connections between MSF, the appraisal process, and the broader revalidation framework for doctors.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative research design was employed within the UK general practice setting.
• Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 12 GPs and 12 appraisers who had recently undergone MSF.
• Thematic analysis was applied to interpret the interview data.

Main Results:

• Participants viewed MSF positively for formative development but raised concerns regarding methodology, including self-selection of colleagues and objectivity of feedback.
• Difficulties in interpreting benchmark data and emotional responses to scores were reported.
• While most accepted MSF's role in appraisal and revalidation, tensions emerged between appraisal's formative nature and revalidation's summative function.

Conclusions:

• MSF is considered valuable for formative assessment and has a recognized role in appraisal.
• Methodological limitations of MSF may impact its reliability in identifying underperformance.
• Current proposals linking MSF, appraisal, and revalidation might restrict its learning potential for some doctors, necessitating careful refinement to enhance accuracy and credibility for both development and revalidation.