Vol 41 # 3 September 2009 - Kma.org.kw

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Evaluation of Dermatology Residents Using the Multisource (360-Degree) Assessment ...
September 2009
Fig. 1: Ranks of residents according to the mean scores regarding the competency areas of communication and professionalism
specialist training. However, the application of the
form to wider groups may yield more precise results
regarding its validity and reliability.
Disparities were observed in the scores given by
different evaluators. We think that the presence of
such disparities is important in the interpretation of
the results. A crucial point that we determined during
the interpretation of the results was that the low scores
showed some pattern of clustering. This clustering is
effective in the determination of the weak areas of the
residents and may serve as a guide for compensation
of deficiencies. Also to some degree, disparities can
be observed between the scores given by the health
care personnel and secretaries and those given by
the remaining evaluator groups. One possible factor
for this outcome may be the closer interpersonal
relations of the auxiliary staff and the secretaries with
the residents. However, during the interpretation of
the results, it must be taken into consideration that
the Cronbach reliability coefficients of the auxiliary
staff and secretaries are relatively low. In a similar
study, the authors concluded that secretaries should
not take part in 360 degree assessment since the intraassessor
reliability was low [7] .
It can be seen that the self-evaluation scores were
not included in the published studies in literature [9] .
However, we think that self-evaluation is beneficial
in order to determine at which level the residents
view themselves. Through this evaluation, it is
possible to evaluate how the residents perceive their
knowledge, skills, attitudes, beliefs and behavior.
The most important feature of this study is that
it is the first to be conducted in the field of medical
education in Turkey and as a preliminary data it
will be helpful for future studies. It also serves as
a guide for the determination and evaluation of
competent areas. Another advantage is to offer
certain improvements in the department where the
evaluation is made. Additionally, it will serve as a
guide in the arrangement of the education program,
determination of deficiencies and their compensation
and the removal of prejudices on the residents.
Although it seems to be a limitation that the study
was conducted in a single department and the sample
size was relatively small, the inclusion of all residents
and all employees in the department offered reliable
results for performance measurement. The low
number of patients may be another limitation. It has
been suggested that as many as 50 patient surveys
may be necessary to achieve sufficient reliability [14] .
In addition, faculty members and nurses mentioned
in their feedbacks received after the application of
the questionnaire that the number of questions is
very high. Taking the feedbacks into consideration,
modification of the questionnaire will be needed
for the further studies. We also suggest shortening
the questionnaire to apply in large sized groups in
different fields.
CONCLUSION
In the present study, 360-degree evaluation
was used for the first time in our country. Our
data show that the evaluation made by multiple
sources contributes to a more objective evaluation
of the residents’ professional competencies and
yields beneficial results for the determination of
their weak and strong sides. We conclude that the
preliminary data obtained from this method may be
used to enhance educational quality of the residency
program and follow-up. It is obvious that similar