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.
Showing posts with label checklist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label checklist. Show all posts
Monday, September 3, 2007
Monday, August 6, 2007
The Wentwest Confidence Self Assessment Grid
Welcome to the third 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
I intend sending out an e-mail like this regularly. I’m at the GPET conference next week, so there may not be one then. Feel free to send me feedback, or to let me know if you don’t want to receive the e-mails any more. Similarly, send these on to others if you think they might be interested. You’ll find these e-mails archived on http://www.tipsontreat.blogspot.com/. So far there’s some thoughts on the Medical Record Review and the Procedural Skills Checklist.
This week, the Wentwest Confidence Self Assessment Grid also known as the WeCSAG, which can be found here: http://www.wentwest.com/treat/index_files/Page713.htm
If you’re a Wentwest supervisor (or have a Wentwest registrar in your practice) you will hopefully find that your registrar already has one of these booklets, and they may approach you with a fearful look in their eye asking how should they do it! Although it looks big and scary, it’s actually quite a simple concept. The idea is that the registrar goes through the checklist rating how confident they feel about each item in the list. They shouldn’t need to think too hard about each one, it can be done just with gut instinct.
What’s the advantage?
The checklist has been adapted from a version used widely in UK General Practice Training called the “Wolverhampton Grid”. It reflects the broad range of areas registrars need to be aware of in Australian General Practice. This allows registrars to be systematic about what they want to learn, which is perhaps better than the method I employ of sitting in a dark room with my eyes shut and imagining what topics I should learn!
What are the pitfalls?
This is a self assessment of confidence, which does not necessarily reflect whether someone can actually do the item in question or not. We’ve all met people very confident they can do something, and turn out not to be as good as they thought, and the (probably safer) converse.
Like share prices, confidence can go down as well as up – as someone realises how complicated, say, sore throats are, they may actually get less confident about it as they learn more.
Why do it?
There would be 2 reasons for doing this exercise (apart from the fact that we’ve encouraged all the registrars to do it!)
It allows registrars to develop a broad-based learning plan around prioritising areas they feel under-confident in.
It encourages a process of self-reflection about your own strengths and weaknesses.
What if they ask me for help?
It looks big, and there are undoubtedly topics on the grid we would feel uncomfortable about also. Supervisors can help prioritise topics for the learning plan. The WeCSAG does this to some extent – those percentages you see in Domain 2 are figures from the BEACH data about how often they present to General Practice (used also in setting the exam) and you can also prioritise based around a knowledge of your practice and your patients.
You may also find it interesting to do the grid yourself and share your findings with your registrar. It may be quite liberating for them to realise they don’t have to get to a 5 in every topic!
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.
I intend sending out an e-mail like this regularly. I’m at the GPET conference next week, so there may not be one then. Feel free to send me feedback, or to let me know if you don’t want to receive the e-mails any more. Similarly, send these on to others if you think they might be interested. You’ll find these e-mails archived on http://www.tipsontreat.blogspot.com/. So far there’s some thoughts on the Medical Record Review and the Procedural Skills Checklist.
This week, the Wentwest Confidence Self Assessment Grid also known as the WeCSAG, which can be found here: http://www.wentwest.com/treat/index_files/Page713.htm
If you’re a Wentwest supervisor (or have a Wentwest registrar in your practice) you will hopefully find that your registrar already has one of these booklets, and they may approach you with a fearful look in their eye asking how should they do it! Although it looks big and scary, it’s actually quite a simple concept. The idea is that the registrar goes through the checklist rating how confident they feel about each item in the list. They shouldn’t need to think too hard about each one, it can be done just with gut instinct.
What’s the advantage?
The checklist has been adapted from a version used widely in UK General Practice Training called the “Wolverhampton Grid”. It reflects the broad range of areas registrars need to be aware of in Australian General Practice. This allows registrars to be systematic about what they want to learn, which is perhaps better than the method I employ of sitting in a dark room with my eyes shut and imagining what topics I should learn!
What are the pitfalls?
This is a self assessment of confidence, which does not necessarily reflect whether someone can actually do the item in question or not. We’ve all met people very confident they can do something, and turn out not to be as good as they thought, and the (probably safer) converse.
Like share prices, confidence can go down as well as up – as someone realises how complicated, say, sore throats are, they may actually get less confident about it as they learn more.
Why do it?
There would be 2 reasons for doing this exercise (apart from the fact that we’ve encouraged all the registrars to do it!)
It allows registrars to develop a broad-based learning plan around prioritising areas they feel under-confident in.
It encourages a process of self-reflection about your own strengths and weaknesses.
What if they ask me for help?
It looks big, and there are undoubtedly topics on the grid we would feel uncomfortable about also. Supervisors can help prioritise topics for the learning plan. The WeCSAG does this to some extent – those percentages you see in Domain 2 are figures from the BEACH data about how often they present to General Practice (used also in setting the exam) and you can also prioritise based around a knowledge of your practice and your patients.
You may also find it interesting to do the grid yourself and share your findings with your registrar. It may be quite liberating for them to realise they don’t have to get to a 5 in every topic!
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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