title: The role of blinded interviews in the assessment of surgical residency candidates.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Interview assessments of surgical residency candidates may be biased by prior knowledge of objective data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Each candidate (site 1: n = 88; site 2: n = 44) underwent two interviews, one by faculty members informed only of a candidate's medical school, the second with prior knowledge of the complete application. Interviewers (site 1: n = 28; site 2: n = 14) independently rated candidates overall and on nine qualitative characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At site 1 only, overall ratings were significantly more favorable for unblinded than blinded interviews (23.0 +/- 17.7 versus 32.6 +/- 23.1, P < 0.01). Blinded and unblinded overall ratings correlated -0.01 (P = 0.90) and 0.31 (P = 0.05) at sites 1 and 2, respectively. At site 1 only, overall ratings correlated significantly with USMLE scores, but in opposite directions for blinded (r = 0.32, P = 0.003) versus unblinded interviews (r = -0.32, P = 0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interview assessments may be influenced by objective data, and faculty and program variables. The value of blinded interviewing may vary as a function of individual program characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Carolinas Medical Center, P.O. Box 32861, Charlotte, NC 28232-2861, USA. will.miles@carolinashealthcare.org
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Miles
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Risucci
mesh_terms: D004521:Educational Measurement; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016037:Single-Blind Method