Current Practices and Perspectives on Peer Observation and Feedback: A National Survey

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pediatric Hospital Medicine
• Professional Development

Background:

• Peer observation and feedback (POF) is established in education for skill development.
• Its application for pediatric hospitalists beyond teaching skills is underexplored.
• Characterizing POF practice is crucial for optimizing its use in this specialty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the current practice of POF among pediatric hospitalists.
• To identify perceived benefits and barriers associated with POF.
• To determine preferences for future POF program design.

Main Methods:

• A 14-item cross-sectional survey was developed and refined.
• The survey was distributed to pediatric hospitalists across 12 US institutions.
• Data were collected on divisional expectations, personal practice, benefits, barriers, and preferences.

Main Results:

• 61% of respondents had participated in POF, but only 42% had a divisional expectation.
• Primary benefits included identifying improvement areas and learning from colleagues (94%).
• Major barriers were time (51%) and discomfort with peer feedback (38%), though participation mitigated barriers. 76% desired formal POF programs.

Conclusions:

• Most pediatric hospitalists desire POF programs for professional development.
• Developing supportive and feasible POF programs presents challenges.
• Findings offer considerations for designing effective POF initiatives in pediatric hospital medicine.