Thanks to the generosity of Hilton Koppe at North Coast GP Training, TREAT has a new tool. It is called "Measure your wellbeing" and can be found here. It does just what it says on the tin! Have a look, and I'll feature it a future Tips on TREAT.
I've taken the opportunity to alter some slight faults in formatting (like the title bar missing off the word Toolkit - did any of you notice?) and updating the lists of tools and questions. Thanks to Nick Cooling for making me realise that it would be a good idea to link the Confidence Grid (and see here) to all the domains, as you don't need to do the whole questionnaire in one hit.
Keep visiting TREAT, try out the tools, let me know what you think
Friday, September 7, 2007
Monday, September 3, 2007
Sheffield Assessment Instrument for Letters - SAIL
This is the fifth issue of Tips on TREAT, but the first to be published in it’s new format as an article in the Training Tabloid.
TREAT is the Trainer-Registrar Education and Assessment Toolkit, an online collection of tools to help provide registrars with feedback about their performance across a range of areas. The website can be found at www.wentwest.com/treat
I’m still archiving these Tips on the blog at http://www.tipsontreat.blogspot.com/, so if you’ve missed any to date, then you’ll find previous tips there.
This month we feature the Sheffield Assessment Instrument for Letters (SAIL). It can be found here: http://www.wentwest.com/treat/index_files/Page734.htm
This tool is used to assess referral letters to other practitioners. It consists of a checklist of features which should be in an ideal letter, which you can score. There is also space for general comments.
The overall score has been validated as being discriminating (ie it distinguishes between good and bad letters) and reproducible (ie the same letter will score the same with different scorers or at different times). It’s worth remembering, though, that the most value from this tool is gained from the discussion that arises from using the tool. Suggested questions might be:
· “What did you score well on?”
· “What did you not score well on?”
· “Why is that important?”
· “What could you do to improve that letter?”
The tool can be used to assess one letter, or several, to find out whether there is a pattern. It could be used on selected letters, or letters could be chosen at random.
A powerful way of using the tool would be to allow the registrar to score one of the supervisor’s letters as well, allowing role-modelling of improving your own practice (unless they’re already perfect, of course!) You could also have some fun scoring hospital and specialist letters you receive, to discuss how crucial the information they contain really is.
There is more information in the tool itself, and a reference to the original article in the journal Medical Education on the TREAT website.
What now?
Print out a few copies of the SAIL, and use part of a tutorial to go through some letters, and just have a go!
As always, feel free to send suggestions and feedback to me here at Wentwest.
TREAT is the Trainer-Registrar Education and Assessment Toolkit, an online collection of tools to help provide registrars with feedback about their performance across a range of areas. The website can be found at www.wentwest.com/treat
I’m still archiving these Tips on the blog at http://www.tipsontreat.blogspot.com/, so if you’ve missed any to date, then you’ll find previous tips there.
This month we feature the Sheffield Assessment Instrument for Letters (SAIL). It can be found here: http://www.wentwest.com/treat/index_files/Page734.htm
This tool is used to assess referral letters to other practitioners. It consists of a checklist of features which should be in an ideal letter, which you can score. There is also space for general comments.
The overall score has been validated as being discriminating (ie it distinguishes between good and bad letters) and reproducible (ie the same letter will score the same with different scorers or at different times). It’s worth remembering, though, that the most value from this tool is gained from the discussion that arises from using the tool. Suggested questions might be:
· “What did you score well on?”
· “What did you not score well on?”
· “Why is that important?”
· “What could you do to improve that letter?”
The tool can be used to assess one letter, or several, to find out whether there is a pattern. It could be used on selected letters, or letters could be chosen at random.
A powerful way of using the tool would be to allow the registrar to score one of the supervisor’s letters as well, allowing role-modelling of improving your own practice (unless they’re already perfect, of course!) You could also have some fun scoring hospital and specialist letters you receive, to discuss how crucial the information they contain really is.
There is more information in the tool itself, and a reference to the original article in the journal Medical Education on the TREAT website.
What now?
Print out a few copies of the SAIL, and use part of a tutorial to go through some letters, and just have a go!
As always, feel free to send suggestions and feedback to me here at Wentwest.
Collaborative Healer Assessment Tool - CHAT
Well, after the GPET conference and a couple of registrar workshops, I can get back to sending another Tip. This is the fourth issue of Tips on TREAT. I hope you are finding these e-mails helpful or useful. As you may remember, TREAT, is the Wentwest Trainer-Registrar Education Assessment Toolkit, which can be found here: www.wentwest.com/treat
Changes
Tips on TREAT is going to change format for those of you in the Wentwest area. We are going to start producing a newsletter called the Training Tabloid, and Tips on TREAT will become a regular feature in this, together with other information for supervisors about workshops and news. This will be monthly not weekly, so Tips on TREAT will come out less regularly. From some feedback I’ve had, this will allow you more time to have a look around at the tools between each Tip.
For those of you outside our region, I’ll carry on sending the e-mails, and I’ll still archive them on the blogspot http://www.tipsontreat.blogspot.com/, where you can still find previous Tips.
CHAT – the Collaborative Healer Assessment Tool
This week’s tool is the CHAT, because for those of you in the Wentwest area, it’s coming up to time to have your first CHAT session with your registrar. The tool can be found here: http://www.wentwest.com/treat/index_files/Page1741.htm. (You’ll also have 2 more CHAT sessions later in this term)
The CHAT is a way of providing systematic feedback to a registrar across all the domains. It will help the registrar provide feedback to you about the learning experience in the practice as well.
You’ll see there are 2 sets of forms, and again, it looks slightly forbidding, but is actually quite simple. There are 2 stages to having a CHAT.
The supervisor and registrar separately fill in their forms about the registrar performance and the learning in the practice. This should be given time before having the CHAT session, perhaps 1 week, perhaps 1 day.
The supervisor and registrar get together to talk about what they put. This, for obvious reasons, is called having a CHAT! They reach consensus about how well the registrar (and supervisor) is doing and make plans as to how to continue and what to concentrate on.
It is hoped that CHAT will promote these desirable attributes:
· Reflection on one’s own performance
· Giving and receiving feedback constructively
· Being assessed across all 5 domains of the curriculum
· Being able to give evidence for the opinions each has.
Coming up is the most important sentence in this message:
The most important thing about this tool is the CONVERSATION it promotes.
Please re-read that sentence now.
It doesn’t really matter very much about how comfortable or uncomfortable you are filling in particular parts (eg about ability to pass the exam). However, if both sides make a genuine attempt to complete the forms, it is almost impossible not to have a conversation stimulated, especially about areas of difference.
Remember, this tool is for formative assessment, which means to provide feedback about performance in order to improve it. This works best in a safe atmosphere of mutual trust between registrar and supervisor. Therefore, Wentwest does not desire or wish to know about the content or result of a discussion, just the fact that it has happened, and there is a fax back form to let us know this. I’ve also included a feedback/evaluation form for us to improve the process, so please keep those coming in.
There are detailed instructions with the form, and also on the website.
That’s all for this week. Do feel free to e-mail feedback about the tool or the website, or any suggestions or questions, or if you’d rather not receive the e-mails.
Changes
Tips on TREAT is going to change format for those of you in the Wentwest area. We are going to start producing a newsletter called the Training Tabloid, and Tips on TREAT will become a regular feature in this, together with other information for supervisors about workshops and news. This will be monthly not weekly, so Tips on TREAT will come out less regularly. From some feedback I’ve had, this will allow you more time to have a look around at the tools between each Tip.
For those of you outside our region, I’ll carry on sending the e-mails, and I’ll still archive them on the blogspot http://www.tipsontreat.blogspot.com/, where you can still find previous Tips.
CHAT – the Collaborative Healer Assessment Tool
This week’s tool is the CHAT, because for those of you in the Wentwest area, it’s coming up to time to have your first CHAT session with your registrar. The tool can be found here: http://www.wentwest.com/treat/index_files/Page1741.htm. (You’ll also have 2 more CHAT sessions later in this term)
The CHAT is a way of providing systematic feedback to a registrar across all the domains. It will help the registrar provide feedback to you about the learning experience in the practice as well.
You’ll see there are 2 sets of forms, and again, it looks slightly forbidding, but is actually quite simple. There are 2 stages to having a CHAT.
The supervisor and registrar separately fill in their forms about the registrar performance and the learning in the practice. This should be given time before having the CHAT session, perhaps 1 week, perhaps 1 day.
The supervisor and registrar get together to talk about what they put. This, for obvious reasons, is called having a CHAT! They reach consensus about how well the registrar (and supervisor) is doing and make plans as to how to continue and what to concentrate on.
It is hoped that CHAT will promote these desirable attributes:
· Reflection on one’s own performance
· Giving and receiving feedback constructively
· Being assessed across all 5 domains of the curriculum
· Being able to give evidence for the opinions each has.
Coming up is the most important sentence in this message:
The most important thing about this tool is the CONVERSATION it promotes.
Please re-read that sentence now.
It doesn’t really matter very much about how comfortable or uncomfortable you are filling in particular parts (eg about ability to pass the exam). However, if both sides make a genuine attempt to complete the forms, it is almost impossible not to have a conversation stimulated, especially about areas of difference.
Remember, this tool is for formative assessment, which means to provide feedback about performance in order to improve it. This works best in a safe atmosphere of mutual trust between registrar and supervisor. Therefore, Wentwest does not desire or wish to know about the content or result of a discussion, just the fact that it has happened, and there is a fax back form to let us know this. I’ve also included a feedback/evaluation form for us to improve the process, so please keep those coming in.
There are detailed instructions with the form, and also on the website.
That’s all for this week. Do feel free to e-mail feedback about the tool or the website, or any suggestions or questions, or if you’d rather not receive the e-mails.
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