TY - JOUR
T1 - From Their Eyes
T2 - What Constitutes Quality Formative Written Feedback for Neurosurgery Residents
AU - Neal, Chris J.
AU - Durning, Steven J.
AU - Dharmapurikar, Rajeev
AU - McDaniel, Katherine E.
AU - Lad, Shivanand P.
AU - Haglund, Michael M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022
PY - 2023/3
Y1 - 2023/3
N2 - Background: The characteristics of quality feedback from the neurosurgery resident's perspective are not fully elucidated. The Surgical Autonomy Program is an intraoperative assessment tool based on Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). SAP facilitates assessment of a resident's operative performance accompanied by written feedback. Objective: The goal of this study was twofold: to identify themes from the written feedback of SAP operative assessments and to examine if these themes influenced the neurosurgery residents’ perception of feedback quality. Methods: In 2021, SAP data from 2019-2021 at two neurosurgery programs were reviewed. Feedback quality from the SAP was determined by the resident at the time of their assessment. Using a constant comparative technique, the feedback was coded using a thematic analysis. The quality of feedback within each code was analyzed. Results: There were 2968 SAP entries evaluated. When the ZPD concept was fully used, residents reported high quality feedback 91.4% of the time compared to 58.6% when ZPD was not used (p < 0.001). Qualitative analysis of the written feedback revealed five themes: Non-Specific, Specific General Observations, Key Points, Next Steps, and Independent Practice. Feedback in the Specific General Observations, Key Points, and Independent Practice categories were associated with higher level feedback than leaving the space blank (p < 0.001) or writing Non-Specific comments (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Providing comments that discuss the resident's specific performance in the case, key learning points, or their progress towards independence, results in high quality feedback. Utilizing a theory-based tool such as the SAP can provide meaningful feedback to neurosurgical residents.
AB - Background: The characteristics of quality feedback from the neurosurgery resident's perspective are not fully elucidated. The Surgical Autonomy Program is an intraoperative assessment tool based on Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). SAP facilitates assessment of a resident's operative performance accompanied by written feedback. Objective: The goal of this study was twofold: to identify themes from the written feedback of SAP operative assessments and to examine if these themes influenced the neurosurgery residents’ perception of feedback quality. Methods: In 2021, SAP data from 2019-2021 at two neurosurgery programs were reviewed. Feedback quality from the SAP was determined by the resident at the time of their assessment. Using a constant comparative technique, the feedback was coded using a thematic analysis. The quality of feedback within each code was analyzed. Results: There were 2968 SAP entries evaluated. When the ZPD concept was fully used, residents reported high quality feedback 91.4% of the time compared to 58.6% when ZPD was not used (p < 0.001). Qualitative analysis of the written feedback revealed five themes: Non-Specific, Specific General Observations, Key Points, Next Steps, and Independent Practice. Feedback in the Specific General Observations, Key Points, and Independent Practice categories were associated with higher level feedback than leaving the space blank (p < 0.001) or writing Non-Specific comments (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Providing comments that discuss the resident's specific performance in the case, key learning points, or their progress towards independence, results in high quality feedback. Utilizing a theory-based tool such as the SAP can provide meaningful feedback to neurosurgical residents.
KW - Education
KW - Feedback
KW - Neurosurgery
KW - Surgical Autonomy Program
KW - Zone of Proximal Development
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85140726245&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jsurg.2022.10.003
DO - 10.1016/j.jsurg.2022.10.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 36280588
AN - SCOPUS:85140726245
SN - 1931-7204
VL - 80
SP - 323
EP - 330
JO - Journal of Surgical Education
JF - Journal of Surgical Education
IS - 3
ER -