# Bridging the Gaps: Allied Health Practitioners, Clinical Educators, and Peers Perspectives on Resident Performance Assessments

## TL;DR

This study explores how different hospital stakeholders assess resident performance, highlighting the need for comprehensive and collaborative evaluation methods.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel inductive thematic analysis of stakeholder perspectives on resident assessments in teaching hospitals.

## Key findings

- Five key themes emerged: Clinical Competency, Learning-Teaching and Mentorship, Professionalism and Ethics, Communication and Teamwork, and Managerial and Administrative Roles.
- Stakeholders differ in their evaluation priorities, with clinical educators emphasizing mentorship and professionalism, and allied health professionals focusing on communication and administrative duties.
- Residents primarily focus on learning-teaching and mentorship, indicating a need for aligned assessment criteria.

## Abstract

Teaching hospitals integrate healthcare, education, and research but face challenges in assessing residents as learners and healthcare providers. Conventional supervisor-led assessments may not fully capture real-world competencies, necessitating multi-source evaluation. This study examines stakeholder perspectives on resident performance assessment and key evaluation criteria.

This study employed a qualitative content analysis and inductive approach to examine stakeholder perspectives on residents’ performance. Data were collected through focus group discussions with purposively sampled clinical educators, allied health practitioners, and senior residents. Transcribed discussions were analysed using inductive thematic analysis in MAXQDA, following a reflexive six-phase approach. Researchers developed codes, organised them into potential themes, and refined them into a coherent narrative addressing the research questions.

Five themes emerged: Clinical Competency,
Learning-Teaching and Mentorship, Professionalism and
Ethics, Communication and Teamwork, and Managerial and
Administrative Roles. Clinical educators prioritized Learning-
Teaching and Mentorship alongside Professionalism, while allied
health professionals emphasized Communication and Teamwork,
and Managerial and Administrative duties. Residents primarily
focused on Learning-Teaching and Mentorship. Subthemes
emphasised varied across participant groups.

Teaching hospital stakeholders assess residents differently. Addressing hierarchical barriers, enhancing communication, and fostering professionalism are essential for comprehensive, context-sensitive, and effective resident training and performance assessment.