OBJECTIVE:
To describe the experience of using self-audit (SA) as a means of accrediting family and community medicine tutors, to analyse the knowledge that the tutors have on this self-assessment methodology, and to record their opinions on this method.
DESIGN:
Retrospective descriptive study and analysis of an opinion questionnaire.
SETTING:
Family and community medicine teaching units (TU) in Catalonia.
PARTICIPANTS:
Tutors from family and community medicine TU in Catalonia (July 2001-July 2008).
METHODS:
Training of the tutors in SA methodology, creation of a reference group and a correction cycle.
Correction by peers of the SAs performed by the tutors according to previously determined criteria and subsequent issue of a report-feedback. Self-administered questionnaire by a group of TU tutors. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN
OUTCOMES:
A total of 673 SA were performed.
The most frequent topic selected was diabetes mellitus in 27.9% of cases.
The overall evaluation of the SA from a methodological point of view was correct in 44.5% of cases, improvable in 45.3%, and deficient in 10.2%. A total of 300 opinion questionnaires were issued.
The response rate was 151/300 (50.03%). On the question about the usefulness of the SA in professional practice, 12% considered it very useful, 56% adequate, and 32% of little use or not useful.
As regards whether it was a good means for the re-accreditation or accreditation of tutors, 66% considered that it was not.
CONCLUSIONS:
A high percentage of the SAs analysed are not carried out correctly, which indicates that tutors do not know this self-assessment method very well.
They consider that SAs are a useful tool for improving clinical practice, but not a good means for accreditation and re-accreditation.
2010-02-09
Spa.
Atencion primaria / Sociedad Espanola de Medicina de Familia y Comunitaria
Unidad Docente de Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria del Consorcio Sanitario de Terrassa, Barcelona, España. mezquerra [at] cst.cat
Aten Primaria. 2010 Feb;42(2):102-8
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