Surgery Resident Perceptions of the Clicker Evaluation System: A Novel Approach to Collecting and Utilizing Clinical...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Healthcare Administration

Background:

• Medical trainees provide performance feedback to clinical faculty.
• Limited research exists on trainee evaluations of faculty performance.
• Effective and anonymous feedback methods are crucial for program improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify an effective and anonymous method for surgery residents to evaluate clinical faculty.
• To assess resident perceptions of a novel clicker-based evaluation system.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a web-based audience response system (clicker) for annual faculty performance evaluation by residents.
• Anonymous survey administered to residents to gauge perceptions of the clicker evaluation process.
• Study conducted at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health's Department of Orthopedic Surgery.

Main Results:

• 96% of residents felt the clicker system allowed accurate rating of faculty performance.
• Residents expressed confidence in the anonymity of their responses.
• Anonymity was identified as a key strength, with suggestions for question refinement.

Conclusions:

• The clicker evaluation system provides an effective and anonymous method for resident feedback on clinical faculty.
• Future work includes refining questions, expanding adoption to other specialties, and researching behavioral changes resulting from feedback.