Mini-PAT in Psychiatry Dr V M Aziz Dr Natalie Thomas

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1 Mini-PAT in Psychiatry Dr V M Aziz Dr Natalie Thomas Practice Points: Learning that occurs in the context of the daily workplace is more likely to be relevant and reinforced, leading to better practice. Mini-PAT aims to increase productivity, bring about positive behaviour change and provide an opportunity to reflect on their conduct and attitudes. Mini-PAT highlights those areas which need to be worked on, through producing an agreed-action development plan. Credible systematic feedback from the assessors helps trainees steer their learning towards desired outcomes. WPBA including mini-pat should be a part of the educational agreement that aims to help the trainees identify their personal goals and how they will achieve them. Assessment is an attempt to understand a person through obtaining and interpreting information about the knowledge, understanding, abilities and attitudes of that person (Rowntree, 1994). Assessments have multiple purposes including: ability to determine whether the set learning objectives are met; assessment of competency, evaluation of teaching programmes, and predicting future performance (Amin and Khoo, 2003). They include written examination questions, portfolio-based assessment, Clinical Assessments of Skills and Competencies (CASC), and multisource assessments. Multiple observations and several different assessments used over time can partially compensate for flaws in any one method (Wass, et al., 2004). Workplace-based assessments (WPBA) were proposed by the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) as an overarching assessment strategy. Davies and colleagues (1995) reported that learning that occurs in the context of the daily workplace is more likely to be relevant and reinforced, leading to better practice. Wass and colleagues (2004) reported that for assessment to drive learning, it should be educational and formative, but with an increasing focus on the performance of doctors, and on public demand for assurance that doctors are competent. Assessment also needs to have a summative function. WPBA is about the assessment of how doctors practice in their working environment (PMETB, 2005). Some of the advantages of WPBA include the fact that it is traineeled, is formative, and has the ability to evaluate performance in context (Miller, 1990). WPBA include (GMC, 2010): observation of clinical activities, such as the mini-clinical evaluation exercise and direct observation of procedural skills; discussion of clinical cases, such as the case based discussion; and multisource 1

2 feedback from peers, co-workers, and patients such as the mini-pat, and the patient satisfaction questionnaire. The Royal College of Psychiatrists (the College) introduced WPBA in 2007 with the focus on trainees personal development, learning needs, appraisal and assessment as integral to the process of education supervision (Everett Julyan, 2009). WPBAs provide motivation for trainees to meet regularly with their supervisors for the purpose of focusing on knowledge, skills and attitudes (PMETB, 2008) and can reliably and consistently improve and broaden psychiatrists' skills (Brown and Doshi, 2006). The reliability, validity, and acceptability of WPBAs have been scrutinised by several studies (Norcini and Burch, 2007; Norcini, 2010). In a feasibility study and generalisability analysis based on the application of three WPBAs, Wilkinson and colleagues (2008) concluded that WPBAs are feasible to conduct and can make reliable distinctions between doctors performances. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (2010) reported, on the outcome of trainee and trainer survey, that WPBA is fit for purpose especially when feedback with reflection is used as the primary source, followed by scoring. However, Wilkinson and colleagues (2008) suggested that WPBA is not sufficiently reliable to stand alone and in order for it to be valid and useful, trainees and assessors need to understand and value their role in the educational process. Mini-PAT is a form of multisource feedback (MSF) that involves the assessment of aspects of trainees competence and behaviour from multiple viewpoints (Fitch, et al., 2008). Mini-PAT was derived from (SPRAT) the Sheffield Peer Review Assessment Tool (Archer, et al., 2005) in which trainees seek feedback about their work performance from a variety of healthcare professionals, highlighting areas of strength and those in need of improvement (King, 2002; Lipner, et al., 2002). It can also incorporate self-assessment, where the trainees assess their own competence and behaviour for comparison with assessments from other sources. The aims of mini-pat are to increased productivity, and bring about positive behaviour change while its outcomes are to offer trainees insight into how others perceive their performance based on their workplace behaviour and provide an opportunity to reflect on their conduct and attitudes (Abdulla, 2008). It is useful in assessing communication, reliability, team working, and teaching skills (Hays et al, 2002). It can also help trainees develop a holistic approach to patient care by taking part in multi-professional ward reviews and care programme approach (CPA) meetings (Bhugra & Holsgrove, 2005) and is supportive to inter-professional team development (McLellan, et al., 2005). Because psychiatry differs from other medical specialities, with more emphasis on communication, interpersonal skills and relationship building, the College revised the MSF to reflect these differences (Finch, et al, 2008). The College uses mini-pat to assess the trainee s competencies as a communicator with patients, families, and colleagues; collaborator with other professionals and agencies; manager who organizes sustainable practices, and contributes to the effectiveness of the service; a scholar who contributes to the dissemination, and application of medical knowledge; 2

3 and a professional who shows best practice, high ethical standards and exemplary personal behaviours. Trainees should complete one mini-pat every six months involving eight to twelve raters. Different studies indicate that between eight and twelve raters can generate generalisability coefficients between 0.7 and 0.81 (Lockyer and Violato, 2004; Ramsey, et al., 1996). Five criteria for determining the usefulness of a particular method of assessment were described by Van der Vleuten (1996): reliability (the degree to which the measurement is accurate and reproducible), validity (whether the assessment measures what it claims to measure), impact on future learning and practice, acceptability to learners and faculty, and costs (to the individual trainee, the institution, and society at large). Ramsey et al. (1993) found that it is feasible and valid to obtain assessments from professional colleagues in areas of clinical practice, humanistic qualities and communication skills. Also, Whitehouse and colleagues (2002) found it to be practical and acceptable to senior house officers in hospital settings. The reliability of multi-source feedback and peer rating across different settings was validated in other subspecialties including surgery (Violato, et al., 2003), obstetrics and gynaecology (Joshi, et al., 2004), and intensive care (Johnson and Cujec, 1998). Abdulla (2008) quoted high content validity and reliability (correlation coefficient in the range of for tools assessing communication skills, working relationships, team development and stress-coping strategies). Archer and colleagues (2008) concluded that mini-pat appears to provide a valid way of collating colleague opinions to help reliably assess Foundation trainees. Violato and colleagues (2008) showed evidence for the construct validity (is measuring the construct it claims to be measuring) and stability over time. As the questionnaire was mapped directly to the standards of the GMC good medical practice content validity had therefore been established (Archer, et al., 2005). Never the less, it is important to note that each study developed its own assessment tool and the number of raters providing feedback varied widely across the studies. Allowing the trainees to select their own raters does not bias assessment (Durning, et al. 2002; Violato, et al. 1997). Ramsey and colleagues (1993) demonstrated that the relationship between the person being rated and the rater did not substantially affect the results. However, it was found that the profession and seniority of assessors significantly influences assessment (Archer, et al. 2006). Johnson and Cujec (1998) were concerned that doctors rate their colleagues more favourably when compared to feedback from nurses that could affect inter-rater reliability. This selection bias may be reduced if the list of raters is discussed and agreed by both supervisor and trainee beforehand and education about the process may enhance credibility of the tool (Bracken, et al., 2001) and reduce errors of measurement such as halo effect and central tendency (Norcini, 2003; Johnson and Cujec, 1998). Also, self-assessments do not correlate with peer ratings, and differences in ratings have been found between peers with differing levels of experience (Hall, et al., 1999; Thomas, et al., 1999). This disagreement can be seen as measuring different aspects of performance from the position of the rater (Bozeman, 1997). Consequently, the College has constrained psychiatry specialty registrars discretion 3

4 over the selection of assessors for mini-pat, requiring them to nominate their assessors from a broad range of co-workers, not just medical staff. On the other hand, Schurwirth & Van der Vleuten (2006) cautioned against over reliance on these instruments as they are mainly summative rather than formative tools. Concern has also been expressed regarding the dangers of compromising the construct validity of assessment processes for the sake of increasing reliability (Cate, 2006). It is therefore important that we consider these important principles and do not end up being a competence checklist. Mini-PAT plays an important role in helping trainees acknowledge of how their performance is perceived by a range of stakeholders, in addressing weaknesses in their competence and bringing about changes in practice particularly when clinical competence is being assessed (Violato et al, 1997; Lipner et al, 2002; Higgins, et al, 2004). Therefore, considerable emphasis has been placed on the process and quality of feedback given by the educator (Sargeant, et al., 2005). Moreover, credible systematic feedback from the assessors helps trainees steer their learning towards desired outcomes (Norcini and Burch, 2007; Veloski, et al., 2006). Overeem and colleagues (2009) concluded that skilled facilitators are available to encourage reflection and that consultant groups should be aware of the existing lack of openness and absence of constructive feedback. Miller and Archer (2010) examined the impact of workplace based assessment on doctors education and performance and concluded that performance changes were more likely to occur when feedback was credible and accurate or when coaching was provided to help subjects identify their strength and weaknesses. In their views individual factors, the context of the feedback, and the presence of facilitation have a profound effect on the performance improvement. Higgins and colleagues (2004) showed that highly structured feedback is important in appreciating feedback from non-clinical sources. Atwater and colleagues (2000) demonstrated 50% improvement in performance of the supervisors who received 360 degree feedback. However, other studies showed that individuals receiving negative feedback may be discouraging and this decreased their performance (Kluger and Denisi, 1996; Bret and Atwater, 2001). These authors suggested that this may be related to the way feedback is provided rather than a flaw in the concept itself and how the process is implemented. Therefore, the educational supervisor should be appropriately trained for the task, adopt a constructive approach when discussing the results of the report, and allow learner interaction to put together an action plan for development (Sargeant, et al., 2007). In my view, the tool becomes irrelevant when less than half of the raters complete the feedback because they do not want to negatively mark the trainee. Finally, feedback may not lead to changes in practice (Lockyer, et al., 2007) and its perceived effectiveness of the tools was found to be low (Burford, et al., 2010). The use of shorter instruments can improve assessment and counter the view that MSF involves too much paperwork (Lockyer et al, 2006). Also, as the UK is a multiethnic country an additional difficulty is finding a way in which non-english speakers 4

5 can be included. One method for achieving this has been to conduct interviews with patients using interpreters (Mason, et al, 2003), but the cost of that needs to be considered. To improve patient satisfaction, it may be worthwhile linking patient satisfaction and mini PAT to provide evidence for validation that mini PAT is a useful tool to determine improved patient care. WPBA should be a part of the educational agreement that aims to help the trainees identify their personal goals and how they will achieve them. We recommend that the College review its eportfolio to modify the minimum number needed for mini-pat. Finally, mini-pat lacks sufficient field evaluation and large study with larger number of raters and bigger sample size is important for its validation and to reduce the measurement error. In conclusion, WBA assessment tools provide structured, standardised methods of monitoring doctors progress, against a broad range of core clinical and non-clinical competencies (Brown & Bhugra, 2005). Mini-PAT provides the trainees with an overview of how others see them at work and also offers an opportunity to compare self-perception with peer perception and allows comparison with the average peer group. It also highlights those areas which need to be worked on, through producing an agreed-action development plan following formal feedback. Dr Victor Aziz Consultant Psychiatrist victoraziz@doctors.org.uk Dr Natalie Thomas ST4 Older Persons Mental Health pm04njt@doctors.org.uk References: Abdulla A. A critical analysis of mini peer assessment tool (mini-pat). J R Soc Med 2008; 101: Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Workplace based assessment forum: outcome. Amin Z, Khoo HE. Overview of assessment and evaluation. In: Basics in Medical Education. World Scientific Publishing Company, Singapore

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