Faculty Underestimate Resident Desire for Constructive Feedback and Overestimate Retaliation

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Anesthesiology Training
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• Constructive feedback is crucial for trainee learning but infrequently provided by faculty.
• Resident physicians desire more feedback than they currently receive.
• Faculty may underestimate residents' desire for feedback and fear potential retaliation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore faculty and resident perceptions of constructive feedback.
• To identify barriers hindering the provision of more constructive feedback.
• To compare resident desires for feedback against faculty predictions.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey study was conducted with anesthesiology residents and faculty at two academic centers.
• Surveys assessed satisfaction with feedback, predicted responses to feedback examples, and perceived barriers.
• Data were collected between January and March 2019.

Main Results:

• 88% of residents wanted feedback, while only 60% of faculty believed residents would want it.
• 98% of residents reported they would not retaliate against faculty giving feedback.
• Key barriers included time constraints, lack of faculty confidence/training, fear of retaliation, and perceived futility.

Conclusions:

• Residents significantly desire more constructive feedback than faculty predict.
• Faculty's fear of retaliation is largely unfounded, as residents are unlikely to retaliate.
• Overcoming identified barriers can enhance feedback provision and resident satisfaction.