The role of feedback in training psychiatrists
| Date | 27 June 2019 |
| Published date | 27 June 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JMHTEP-02-2019-0009 |
| Pages | 242-250 |
| Author | Patricia S. Rubí González,Luis De la Barra Vivallos,Hardy Schaefer,Pablo Vergara-Barra |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
The role of feedback in training
psychiatrists
Patricia S. Rubí González, Luis De la Barra Vivallos, Hardy Schaefer and Pablo Vergara-Barra
Abstract
Purpose –Feedback is a tool that informs students about their learning process and facilitates necessary
changes. It looks for the students’own perceptions of their performance and how to improve it, developing
permanent learning skills vital for autonomous practice. It is useful for improving one’s performance, clinical
skills, communication and treatment of patients. If carried out improperly, it causes a lack of motivation and a
collapse in the teacher–student relationship. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the perceptions and
experiences of the residents and graduates of the psychiatry specialty at the Universidad of Concepción with
respect to the feedback received on their performance during their training.
Design/methodology/approach –The study was conducted using a qualitative approach of an
exploratory, descriptive and interpretative nature that was also based on Grounded Theory. Ten in-depth
voluntary interviews were conducted with residents-in-training and graduates from within the last two years
of the Adult Psychiatry specialty at the Universidad of Concepción. Subsequently, the data were codified to
create a theoretical model.
Findings –The interpersonal teacher–resident relationship, when based on collaboration and an openness
to dialogue, is fundamental in producing effective feedback.
Research limitations/implications –The limitations of this study were based mainly on the qualitative
methodology used, so it is not possible to generalize the results. Although the above limitation, this study
seems to reaffirm the importance of feedback for residents in training, so it would be advisable to reproduce it
in various training contexts and extend it to the perception of the teachers involved. On the other hand, to
follow this research line, it is essential to create instruments that facilitate the use of quantitative research
methodology, which allows the generalization and comparison of results in different areas.
Social implications –This research opens a first line of research regarding subjective experience when
receiving feedback, which will allow the creation of instruments to objectify how it is being developed in
different educational contexts and to propose strategies to standardize its realization.
Originality/value –There are no other studies of this type published. The originality of this research was that
beyond the mention made about the known characteristics that a feedback must have to be effective, the
participants gave special emphasis to the fact that it is a social relationship, which should be based on a
horizontal interaction between two actors, in addition to promoting dialogue and mutual involvement in the
task that brings them together. Thus it is an effective teaching strategy, fulfilling the objective of motivating the
learning and autonomy of the resident.
Keywords Assessment, Learning outcomes, Postgraduate, Feedback, Communication skills
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
In medical education, feedback is defined as the act of giving information to a medical student or
a resident physician that describes their performance in an observed clinical situation. In other
words, it is a returning of information regarding the learning process that is in agreement with
pre-established objectives (Ramaprasad, 1983; Alves de Lima, 2008; Fornells et al., 2008).
Positive feedback allows students to increase their knowledge, improve their communication
clinical skills, and patient’s care (Ramaprasad, 1983). It is also an important tool for improving
students’self-assessment skills, which subsequently improves the self-regulation of their clinical
practice. Following this logic, feedback is thus the cornerstone of effective clinical teaching
(Archer, 2014) as it provides students with helpful information that narrows the gap between their
Received 6 February 2019
Revised 14 April 2019
Accepted 7 May 2019
Patricia S. Rubí Gonzálezis
based at the Department of
Psychiatry and MentalHealth,
Medical School, University of
Concepción, Concepción,
Chile.
Luis Dela Barra Vivallosis based
at the Department of
Philosophy, University of
Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
Hardy Schaefer is based in
Concepción, Chile.
Pablo Vergara-Barra is based at
the Department of Psychiatry
and Mental Health, University of
Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
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THE JOURNAL OF MENTALHEALTH TRAINING, EDUCATION AND PRACTICE
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VOL. 14 NO. 4 2019, pp.242-250, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1755-6228 DOI 10.1108/JMHTEP-02-2019-0009
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