New Research Supports The Potential For Using Patient And Colleague Questionnaires In The Revalidation Process

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 04 Jun 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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New research, commissioned by the GMC and published recently, has confirmed that patient and colleague questionnaires may offer a reliable method for assessing the professional performance of UK doctors. The pilot study, led by Professor John Campbell, Foundation Professor of General Practice and Primary Care at Peninsula Medical School, involved 541 doctors, who were assessed by their colleagues and patients using standardised questionnaires developed by the GMC.

The patient questionnaire focused on gathering the views of patients on a doctor's communication skills, ability to explain conditions and treatments and to involve the patient in the decision-making process. The colleague questionnaire asked that colleagues give their views on a number of key issues such as a doctor's clinical knowledge, teaching skills and prescribing.

The White Paper on the regulation of Health Professionals, published in 2007, confirmed that patient and colleague questionnaires would become a key element in the revalidation of doctors in the future. This new research confirms that patient and colleague questionnaires, developed by the GMC, have potential as a means of collecting information regarding doctors' performance.

This is an important study as it is essential that any such tools used for assessing the professional performance of doctors, as part of the revalidation process, are adequately researched and validated.

The GMC has now commissioned the research team, led by Professor Campbell, to undertake more in-depth testing of the questionnaires across whole organisations and in different clinical settings. The outcome of this further research piece will help underpin work on evaluating the professional practice of doctors as part of the revalidation process.

Professor Campbell said, 'The revalidation of UK doctors is an important development in the regulation of the medical profession. Only by adopting processes thoroughly grounded in research evidence can patients, society, and the medical profession have confidence in the evaluation of a doctor's professional performance. This study provides that initial confidence. And, in line with aspirations recently expressed in the Government's White Paper, 'Trust, Assurance and Safety', these tools appear to offer doctors the possibility that they can provide real evidence in relation to their clinical practice. Our current work will provide further evidence on the utility of feedback obtained from patients and colleagues in identifying those doctors whose performance might require further scrutiny'

Participants:

541 doctors gave preliminary agreement to take part in the study. Responses were received from 13,754 patients attending one of 380 participant doctors, and from 4269 colleagues of 309 participant doctors.

Revalidation

Revalidation is the process by which doctors will, in future, demonstrate to the GMC on a regular basis that they remain up to date and fit to practise. Revalidation has three elements:

- To confirm that licensed doctors practise in accordance with the GMC's generic standards (relicensing).

- To confirm that doctors on the GMC's specialist register or GP register continue to meet the standards appropriate for their specialty.

- As a backstop, to identify for further investigation, and remediation where appropriate, doctors whose practice is impaired or may be impaired.

General Medical Council