Evolution of the feedback conversation in anaesthesia education: a narrative review

Over the past century, education has been a core component for improving patient safety. The initial focus was developing a curriculum and an assessment process. In recent decades, the value of work-based learning has come to the fore. Learning from work, or experiential learning, requires reflection, which is critically dependent on external feedback. Conceptions of feedback have moved from a transactional information transfer from the supervisor to the trainee to a learner-centred and collaborative process occurring in a complex socio-cultural environment. In this narrative review we describe the evolution of the feedback conversation, provide a model synthesising the core concepts of feedback, and offer some guidance for the development of effective feedback in anaesthesia education.