title: The results of a survey highlighting issues with feedback on medical training in the United Kingdom and how a Smartphone App could provide a solution.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Feedback drives learning in medical education. Healthcare Supervision Logbook (HSL) is a Smartphone App developed at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals for providing feedback on medical training, from both a trainee's and a supervisor's perspective. In order to establish a mandate for the role of HSL in clinical practice, a large survey was carried out.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two surveys (one for doctors undertaking specialty training and a second for consultants supervising their training) were designed. The survey for doctors-in-training was distributed to all specialty trainees in the South and West localities of the Health Education Yorkshire and the Humber UK region. The survey for supervisors was distributed to all consultants involved in educational and clinical supervision of specialty trainees at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results confirm that specialty trainees provide feedback on their training infrequently-66 % do so only annually. 96 % of the specialty trainees owned a Smartphone and 45 % said that they would be willing to use a Smartphone App to provide daily feedback on the clinical and educational supervision they receive. Consultant supervisors do not receive regular feedback on the educational and clinical supervision they provide to trainees-56 % said they never received such feedback and 33 % said it was only on an annual basis. 86 % of consultants surveyed owned a Smartphone and 41 % said they would be willing to use a Smartphone App to provide feedback on the performance of trainees they were supervising.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Feedback on medical training is recorded by specialty trainees infrequently and consultants providing educational and clinical supervision often do not receive any feedback on their performance in this area. HSL is a simple, quick and efficient way to collect and collate feedback on medical training to improve this situation. Good support and education needs to be provided when implementing this new technology.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus, Howard Street, Sheffield, S1 1WB, UK. tom.gray@me.com.
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.affiliation: Department of Postgraduate Medical Education, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Glossop Road, Sheffield, S10 2JF, UK. Gillian.Hood@sth.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: Gill
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hood
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus, Howard Street, Sheffield, S1 1WB, UK. tom.farrell@sth.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Farrell
mesh_terms: D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D005246:Feedback; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D000068997:Smartphone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom