Practicing physicians' needs for assessment and feedback as part of professional development

Abstract

Recently, more is being learned about the linkages among assessment, feedback, and continued learning and professional development. The purpose of this article is to explore these linkages and to understand how assessment and feedback can guide professional development and related practice change. It includes a brief review of conceptual models that guide learning and practice change in general, related to both formally structured continuing professional development (CPD) sessions and to self-directed individual activities, and draws on these to inform learning and change from assessment and feedback. However, evidence and theory show that using assessment and feedback for learning and change are not naturally intuitive activities. We propose a 4-phase facilitated reflective process for enabling engagement with assessment data and feedback and using it for learning and change, and explore the varied personal and contextual factors which are influential and require consideration. We end with practical implications and suggestions.

Keywords: maintenance of certification/licensure; multisource feedback/peer assessment; physician assessment/remediation; reflective practice.