{"title":"More specific feedback: why \"confidence\" in feedback is too ambiguous.","authors":"Maxwell Uetz, Sonia Ananthakrishnan, Asher Tulsky, Lindsay B Demers, Craig Noronha","doi":"10.1093/postmj/qgad106","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>High quality feedback should be delivered in a timely manner, based on specific direct observation, and formulated to be actionable on the part of the trainee. Utilizing \"confidence\" as a point of feedback does not meet these criteria given the ambiguity and lack of actionable steps towards improvement. \"Confidence\"-based feedback makes a judgment about the trainee's internal state leading to potentially gender or culturally biased feedback. There is a risk of emotional harm for trainees when it is integrated into feedback and it is unclear if there is a role for the use of \"confidence\" in medical education. We are calling for a moratorium on the utilization of the word \"confidence\" in feedback in medical education until further studies are performed to assess its potential place. At this time, educators should refrain from \"confidence\"-based feedback and shift the focus towards more specific, actionable, behavioral-based feedback.</p>","PeriodicalId":20374,"journal":{"name":"Postgraduate Medical Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Postgraduate Medical Journal","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/postmj/qgad106","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
High quality feedback should be delivered in a timely manner, based on specific direct observation, and formulated to be actionable on the part of the trainee. Utilizing "confidence" as a point of feedback does not meet these criteria given the ambiguity and lack of actionable steps towards improvement. "Confidence"-based feedback makes a judgment about the trainee's internal state leading to potentially gender or culturally biased feedback. There is a risk of emotional harm for trainees when it is integrated into feedback and it is unclear if there is a role for the use of "confidence" in medical education. We are calling for a moratorium on the utilization of the word "confidence" in feedback in medical education until further studies are performed to assess its potential place. At this time, educators should refrain from "confidence"-based feedback and shift the focus towards more specific, actionable, behavioral-based feedback.
期刊介绍:
Postgraduate Medical Journal is a peer reviewed journal published on behalf of the Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine. The journal aims to support junior doctors and their teachers and contribute to the continuing professional development of all doctors by publishing papers on a wide range of topics relevant to the practicing clinician and teacher. Papers published in PMJ include those that focus on core competencies; that describe current practice and new developments in all branches of medicine; that describe relevance and impact of translational research on clinical practice; that provide background relevant to examinations; and papers on medical education and medical education research. PMJ supports CPD by providing the opportunity for doctors to publish many types of articles including original clinical research; reviews; quality improvement reports; editorials, and correspondence on clinical matters.