5 Actionable Tips For Medical Appraisals

A medical appraisal is necessary to ensure that a doctor is up-to-date with the medical advancements and is performing to the standards set by the NHS. The medical field is highly selective and only allows the best of the best to practice. When going through a medical appraisal, you should be properly informed of the procedure and act accordingly.

GPs working Out of Hours can have an especially hard time when they want to get supporting information for appraisal and revalidation. But they absolutely need this information if they wish to succeed and not get a bad mark in their files. That’s why this article focuses on some top tips and areas you absolutely need to know about before the appraisal.

1. Plan ahead for patient feedback

GPs that see their patients in clinics can easily get physical feedback by having the receptionist hand out a feedback sheet. If you do home visits, then you have to think ahead and remember to give out the sheets after every session to your private patients.

If you do telephone or online consultation, you might have to send out the feedback form to the patients separately from the clinic –but keep in mind that there is a risk that some won’t complete it. Ensure the patients that the documents have no bearing on their treatment but will definitely help them get continued good services.

If you want to increase your chances of receiving positive results from the appraisal, you should consider preparing a cover letter where you explain why you need it. You can make it easy for the patients by giving them a stamped and personally addressed letter, making it look like an official document necessary for quality treatment.

2. Get feedback from your colleagues

It can be a challenge to get proper and heartfelt feedback from your colleagues, especially for those practitioners practicing without a regular place of work. You can ask colleagues, both clinical and non-clinical if they are happy to provide feedback. Having a large pool of potential critics to choose from will improve return rates. You can do that even for those you don’t work with that often.

As a matter of principle, you can try to be a little friendlier with everyone in your workplace. People are also generally friendlier with doctors, so you won’t face much trouble creating a network of acquaintances.

Let them know that even though you don’t work with them a lot, it is still okay for them to complete the feedback. They will have an option if they feel like they cannot comment on certain areas of your practice.

3. Benchmark your feedback

For patient and colleague feedback, consider using a recognized tool meeting the GMC guidelines. You can try to get a tool that is going to benchmark you against the GP you are working with, as well as others having a similar role.

A benchmark is an imperfect approach to use when comparing yourself to your peers because it doesn’t put into consideration things like demographics and niches. Therefore, you have to use this approach carefully.

Locums usually score less on colleagues and patient feedback because they have not been working as GP for long and don’t have a longstanding relationship with them. If the benchmark used is against other GPs doing Out of Hours or locums, it becomes a better comparison point.

4. Consider how you are going to reflect on significant events

GPs usually meet and discuss significant events where they feel they could have done better or there was something near-miss. For example, if a patient expired on their operating table, they may discuss better protocols or surgical approaches that could have proffered a better outcome.

For purposes of GMC appraisal and revalidation, the RCGP and the GMC have clarified that a significant event is an incident that causes or may have caused significant harm to a patient and that you, as the clinician, were involved directly in the process. Most GPs usually don’t have a serious untoward incident that they have to report, and this is going to be made as a declaration in your appraisal. If you have been in such a situation, then you need to mention and reflect on it. Such thoughtful behavior will reflect very positively in your appraisal and increase your chances of having a positive outcome.

If you have been involved in a significant event and your employer has invited you to attend, then it is important and advisable to do that. If you aren’t invited to attend, you are still allowed to discuss such incidents as part of a learning group. You can even discuss it at the appraisal meeting and offer your views to make things less dangerous in the future.

5. Include at least one Quality Improvement Activity (QIA)

There isn’t a specific number when it comes to Quality Improvement Activities (QIAs) that you will require during the appraisal, but it is a good idea to have at least one every year. If you are unsure of what activities count, then you may consider one of the following;

Some good examples of QIAs are,

• Significant event reviews (those that don’t meet the definition mentioned above)
• Case-based discussions
• Review of notes or prescribing habits with a small group or a colleague
• An audit

Last word

An appraisal is nothing to be worried about if you have the proper tools and information in hand. Preparation is the key to success in everything, just like in a medical appraisal.