The PSQ provides useful feedback to doctors by providing a measure of the patients’ opinion of the doctor’s relationship and empathy during a consultation. The evidence provided is useful in helping trainer and trainee to address needs and facilitate educational shift during the training period.

PSQ will take place as follows:

• Once during months 31 to 34 (Specialty Training Year 3, if in primary care).
• Also, PSQ can take place in ST1 or ST2, if in primary care.
• That is: once if GP experience is for 12 months, or twice if GP experience is more than 12 months.

Process: Obtaining Feedback

1. The trainee and GP trainer should agree a date for the PSQ and a date for interview (not an interim review).


2. The forms and letters of explanation should be handed to consecutive patients (irrespective of their likelihood of responding) by the receptionist, continuing into subsequent days if necessary.


3. Receptionist and trainer complete the declaration form and return to Deanery.


4. Patients complete the forms and hand back to receptionist. This should continue until 40 completed forms have been returned.


5. The results need to be entered on-line using www.eportfolio.rcgp.org.uk/forms (accessible from August 2007). Each deanery will decide who will perform this duty.




Process: Using Feedback



6. Once submitted, results are sent to the Educational Supervisor. Results will include mean, median and range for each question.


7. Results are anonymous.


8. The Educational Supervisor familiarises him/herself with the feedback prior to the interview and aims to assimilate the numerical scores within the context of the trainee’s overall performance.




Process: The Interview



9. The interview should be conducted in protected time with no interruptions. Different individuals may require different lengths of time for reflection. It may be necessary to schedule the feedback for more than one occasion in order to make best use of data.


10. The Educational Supervisor can authorise for the transmitting of results to the trainee’s ePortfolio at any time. The GP trainer will then have access too.


11. The Educational Supervisor or GP trainer should ensure that the trainee understands the background and purpose of the PSQ.


12. The interviewer uses skills in feedback.


13. Discussion should centre around the trainee’s expectations in relation to the mean, median and range for each question.


14. In order to evaluate and record the success or otherwise of the feedback process, it is suggested that the Professional Conversation log in the Education Section of the ePortfolio is used.


15. If the trainer has any areas of serious concern regarding either the content of the assessment or anticipated difficulties in giving feedback, they should contact their programme director/associate adviser for further discussion prior to the interview.