Does peer feedback for teaching GPs improve student evaluation of general practice attachments? A pre-post analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• General Practice Training
• Academic Medicine

Background:

• University general practice teaching is expanding, utilizing resident practices for clinical attachments.
• Selecting and managing the quality of these teaching practices presents challenges for academic institutions.
• Effective instruments are needed to ensure high-quality general practice education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if peer feedback to underperforming general practice teaching physicians improves student evaluations.
• To assess the impact of collegial feedback on the perceived quality of general practice attachments.

Main Methods:

• Students evaluated teaching practices using two 4-point items (professional competence, recommendation).
• Suboptimally rated practices received peer feedback from an experienced physician via individual discussions.
• Student evaluations were compared pre- and post-intervention using generalized estimating equations.

Main Results:

• Out of 264 practices, 83 had suboptimal ratings; 27 were selected for intervention.
• Data from 19 practices (78 pre-intervention, 82 post-intervention students) were analyzed.
• Post-intervention evaluations were significantly more positive (OR 1.20, p<.001).

Conclusions:

• Individual collegial feedback can enhance student perceptions of general practice teaching quality.
• Peer feedback serves as a valuable tool for quality management in academic general practice.
• This approach supports the improvement of university teaching in general practice.