Is time really of the essence? Timeliness of narrative feedback in ophthalmology CBME assessments

Abstract

Purpose

Competency-based medical education relies on a strong program of assessment, and quality comments play a vital role in ensuring its success. The goal of this study is to determine the effect of the timeliness of assessment completion on the quality of the feedback.

Materials and methods

Using the Quality of Assessment for Learning (QuAL) score 2478 assessments were evaluated. The assessments included those completed between July 2017 and December 2020 for 18 ophthalmology residents. Spearman correlation, Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to assess variations in QuAL scores based on the timeliness of assessment completion.

Results

The timeliness of assessment completion ranged from 0 to 299 d with the mean time for completion being 3 d. As the delay increased, the QuAL score decreased. Feedback provided 4, 5, and 14 d post-encounter demonstrated statistically significant differences in the QuAL score. Additionally, there was a significant difference in the timeliness of feedback when there is no written comment.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that the timeliness of assessment completion might have an effect on the quality of written feedback. Written feedback should be completed within 14 d of the encounter to optimize quantity and quality.

Keywords:

• CBME
• postgraduate medicine
• quality of feedback

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tessa Hanmore

Tessa Hanmore, MEd, OCT, is an educational consultant, with the Departments of Ophthalmology, Psychiatry, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, at Queen’s University. Her role is to provide education expertise and support to the post-graduate training programs. She is engaged in a number of research projects related to medical education specifically around feedback, coaching, and competence committees.

Christine C. Moon

Christine C. Moon is an MD-PhD Candidate and Vanier Scholar at Queen’s University.

Rachel Curtis

Dr. Rachel Curtis, MD, FRCSC, is an academic comprehensive ophthalmologist at Queen’s University with an interest in ocular oncology, ocular surface tumor management and medical education. She is the current CBME faculty lead for the department of ophthalmology, and a faculty lead for the Queen’s Resident Medical Education Committee (QRMEC). Dr. Curtis is engaged in a number of research projects related to medical education innovation and research. She was honored to be the recipient of the 2021 Dr. W. Dale Dauphinee award for excellence in medical education and assessment from the Medical Council of Canada.

Wilma Hopman

Wilma M. Hopman, MA, is a Research Methodologist and Biostatistician for the Research Institute at Kingston Health Sciences Centre, and holds an Adjunct appointment in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Queens University. Her role is to support clinical and academic research at Queen’s University and the Health Sciences Centre, through teaching, methodological and statistical support. She currently has over 500 peer-reviewed publications across a broad spectrum of disciplines.

Stephanie Baxter

Stephanie A Baxter, MD, MBA, FRCSC is the Head of the Department of Ophthalmology at Queen’s University and Kingston Health Sciences Centre. Her research interests are related to medical education and competency based medical education.