Pocket card and dedicated feedback session to improve feedback to ward residents: a randomized trial.
BACKGROUND
Residents are often dissatisfied with feedback received on the wards, and hospital attendings are often uncomfortable and unskilled at giving feedback.


OBJECTIVE
Determine the impact of a pocket card and feedback session on Internal Medicine (IM) residents' perceptions of feedback and attendings' comfort giving feedback.


METHODS
Prospective randomized trial using chi-square analysis.


METHODS
Inpatient wards at 1 academic medical center.


METHODS
One hundred eleven IM residents and 36 attendings.


METHODS
We introduced a pocket feedback card, structured around the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies, and a feedback session to guide mid-rotation feedback. Control group attendings received the usual reminder to provide feedback.


METHODS
Attendings' and residents' survey responses, after the inpatient month, assessing attitudes towards feedback and qualitative interviews with intervention attendings.


RESULTS
Intervention residents were more likely than controls to report sufficient and useful feedback from attendings. They reported more feedback regarding skills needing improvement and how to improve their skills (51.3% vs 25.5%, P = 0.02), and felt their clinical (61.5% vs 27.8%, P = 0.001) and professionalism/communication (51.3% vs 29.1%, P = 0.03) skills improved based on this feedback. Intervention attendings, as compared to controls, agreed that residents improved their professionalism/communication skills (76.9% vs 31.1%, P = 0.02) based on feedback. Most intervention attendings found the card and session acceptable and would use both in the future.


CONCLUSIONS
A pocket feedback card and dedicated feedback session improved the quantity and quality of feedback delivered to IM residents by their attendings on the inpatient wards.
Division of General Internal Medicine, Samual M. Bronfman Department of Internal Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York. Lauren.peccoralo@mssm.edu.
Lauren
L
Peccoralo
Reena
R
Karani
Lisa
L
Coplit
Deborah
D
Korenstein
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D030141:Feedback, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000592:standards*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016037:Single-Blind Method