P030: Multisource feedback for emergency medicine residents: different, relevant and useful information

Abstract

Introduction/Innovation Concept: Feedback provided to residents by physicians emphasize the medical expertise competency and may limit the attention paid to other CanMEDS competencies. Recent years have seen the emergence of the concept of multisource feedback, a process through which different members of the care team assess and provide feedback to residents. This approach is considered one of the best for providing relevant feedback on competencies that are less often addressed by physicians. To date, very few studies have explored emergency residents’ perceptions following feedback from their physicians, nurses with whom they have worked, and patients they have treated. Methods: In the emergency department of a tertiary-care university hospital, 10 emergency medicine residents participated, on a voluntary basis, in individual and semi-structured group interviews, three months after having received multisource feedback. Two researchers then qualitatively analyzed the data collected in those interviews. Thematic content analysis using QDA Miner identified dominant themes in the residents’ perceptions. Curriculum, Tool, or Material: Multisource feedback tool: Three questionnaires were designed to gather assessment from different sources: physicians, nurses, and patients. The questionnaires were adapted from those created by Joshi and colleagues for use in a study of residents’ competency in interpersonal and communication skills. During a nine months period, the residents distributed questionnaires to physicians, nurses, and patients with whom they felt they had enough interactions during their clinical shifts. Data from the questionnaires were compiled by two educators that prepared individual feedback reports for each resident. An educator was asked to conduct individual meetings with each resident to present the feedback report and discuss its content. Conclusion: Each source provided relevant comments that differed significantly in their content. Physicians focused primarily on medical expertise, whereas nurses addressed competencies related to management, collaboration, and communication, and patients commented on the competencies of professionalism and communication. Residents concluded that obtaining feedback from nurses and patients was not only acceptable but useful in their training. Several reported modifying certain behaviours after receiving the multisource feedback. Multisource feedback appears to have obvious teaching potential to provide feedback on competencies other than medical expertise in emergency residents.