Attendings' Perceptions of Authentic Evaluation Criteria for Effective Surgical Consults

Abstract

Objective: The authors aimed to investigate faculty evaluation criteria for an effective oral surgical presentation in actual patient care contexts.

Design: We conducted a 2-step observation-based qualitative study. Residents audiotaped oral presentations of a surgical consult to an attending. Evaluation panels listened to the recordings and discussed to develop joint feedback for the resident. The panel discussions were recorded and served as the data source for this study. We analyzed the data following the grounded theory approach using open coding and axial coding.

Setting: The study setting was at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, a 5-year general surgery residency program in Springfield, Illinois.

Participants: Thirteen residents out of 19 in the program participated by virtue of having submitted recordings of a patient care consult presentation via phone. Evaluation panels consisted of general surgery academic and community faculty, as well as senior residents.

Results: Several criteria for effective oral presentations emerged that have rarely been discussed in prior literature. Themes included: (1) The strategic opening is critical as it "sets the stage" and frames how the attending will listen. Situational factors, such as consideration of time of the day and urgency, should be accounted for in the opening. (2) A deductive structure defines the relevance of the presented information. Clinical judgement should precede supporting evidence. Attending physicians perceive important information as unnecessary if provided outside of this framework. (3) Established trust between a resident and a surgeon determines the level of detail expected of the presenting resident. With increasing trust, surgeons expect residents to present fewer details; if too much detail is included, the presentation may be assessed as ineffective. (4) Surgical descriptions are appreciated for their value in promoting the attending's visualization or mental picture of the patient condition. (5) Oral emphasis using voice tone and pace can be helpful for capturing attending attention.

Conclusions: These findings can be utilized to improve the current training program and assessment rubrics toward contextualized work-based assessment practices in surgery. Oral patient presentation skills are neither static nor universal, but fluid and reflexive, based on trust, and situational factors.

Keywords: Assessment; Communication Skills; Interpersonal and Communication Skills; Medical Knowledge; Oral Consultation; Patient Care; Professionalism; Resident; Surgical Education.