BMJ 2003;326:546-548 ( 8 March )

Education and debate

Multisource feedback: a method of assessing surgical practice

Claudio Violato, professor a, Jocelyn Lockyer, associate professor a, Herta Fidler, coordinator---evaluation, research and special projects b. 

a Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada, b Office of Continuing Medical Education and Professional Development, University of Calgary

Correspondence to: C Violato violato@ucalgary.ca

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

New methods are needed for assessing surgeons' performance across a wide range of competencies. Violato and colleagues describe the development of a programme based on feedback from medical colleagues, coworkers, and patients for the assessment of surgeons throughout Alberta, Canada

The assessment and maintenance of competence of physicians has received worldwide attention,1-4 partly in response to concerns about poor performance by physicians and the safety of patients 5 6 and partly as a result of demands for accountability to patients and funding agencies.2-4 New approaches to quality improvement have resulted, as have initiatives focusing on identifying and assessing poor performance.7-9

Throughout the Western world, thinking about competence has shifted. Medical expertise and clinical decision making are increasingly recognised as only components of competence. Communication skills, interpersonal skills, collegiality, professionalism, and a demonstrated ability to continuously improve must also be considered when assessing physicians. 2-4 7 8 10 11

Multisource feedback, using questionnaire data from patients, medical colleagues, . . . [Full text of this article]
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