Rating general practitioner consultation performance in cancer care: does the specialty of assessors matter? A simulated patient study

BackgroundPatients treated for prostate cancer may present to general practitioners (GPs) for treatment follow up, but may be reticent to have their consultations recorded. Therefore the use of simulated patients allows practitioner consultations to be rated. The aim of this study was to determine w...

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Main Authors: Jiwa, Moyez, Halkett, Georgia, Meng, Xingqiong (Rosie), Berg, Melissa
Format: Journal Article
Published: BioMed Central Ltd. 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/28312
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author Jiwa, Moyez
Halkett, Georgia
Meng, Xingqiong (Rosie)
Berg, Melissa
author_facet Jiwa, Moyez
Halkett, Georgia
Meng, Xingqiong (Rosie)
Berg, Melissa
author_sort Jiwa, Moyez
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description BackgroundPatients treated for prostate cancer may present to general practitioners (GPs) for treatment follow up, but may be reticent to have their consultations recorded. Therefore the use of simulated patients allows practitioner consultations to be rated. The aim of this study was to determine whether the speciality of the assessor has an impact on how GP consultation performance is rated. MethodsSix pairs of scenarios were developed for professional actors in two series of consultations by GPs. The scenarios included: chronic radiation proctitis, Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) ‘bounce’, recurrence of cancer, urethral stricture, erectile dysfunction and depression or anxiety. Participating GPs were furnished with the patient’s past medical history, current medication, prostate cancer details and treatment, details of physical examinations. Consultations were video recorded and assessed for quality by two sets of assessors- a team of two GPs and two Radiation Oncologists deploying the Leicester Assessment Package (LAP). LAP scores by the GPs and Radiation Oncologists were compared. ResultsEight GPs participated. In Series 1 the range of LAP scores by GP assessors was 61%-80%, and 67%-86% for Radiation Oncologist assessors. The range for GP LAP scores in Series 2 was 51%- 82%, and 56%-89% for Radiation Oncologist assessors. Within GP assessor correlations for LAP scores were 0.31 and 0.87 in Series 1 and 2 respectively. Within Radiation Oncologist assessor correlations were 0.50 and 0.72 in Series 1 and 2 respectively. Radiation Oncologist and GP assessor scores were significantly different for 4 doctors and for some scenarios. Anticipatory care was the only domain where GPs scored participants higher than Radiation Oncologist assessors. ConclusionThe assessment of GP consultation performance is not consistent across assessors from different disciplines even when they deploy the same assessment tool.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-283122017-09-13T15:21:51Z Rating general practitioner consultation performance in cancer care: does the specialty of assessors matter? A simulated patient study Jiwa, Moyez Halkett, Georgia Meng, Xingqiong (Rosie) Berg, Melissa Assessment Radiation therapy Prostate cancer Consultation General practitioner Side effects BackgroundPatients treated for prostate cancer may present to general practitioners (GPs) for treatment follow up, but may be reticent to have their consultations recorded. Therefore the use of simulated patients allows practitioner consultations to be rated. The aim of this study was to determine whether the speciality of the assessor has an impact on how GP consultation performance is rated. MethodsSix pairs of scenarios were developed for professional actors in two series of consultations by GPs. The scenarios included: chronic radiation proctitis, Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) ‘bounce’, recurrence of cancer, urethral stricture, erectile dysfunction and depression or anxiety. Participating GPs were furnished with the patient’s past medical history, current medication, prostate cancer details and treatment, details of physical examinations. Consultations were video recorded and assessed for quality by two sets of assessors- a team of two GPs and two Radiation Oncologists deploying the Leicester Assessment Package (LAP). LAP scores by the GPs and Radiation Oncologists were compared. ResultsEight GPs participated. In Series 1 the range of LAP scores by GP assessors was 61%-80%, and 67%-86% for Radiation Oncologist assessors. The range for GP LAP scores in Series 2 was 51%- 82%, and 56%-89% for Radiation Oncologist assessors. Within GP assessor correlations for LAP scores were 0.31 and 0.87 in Series 1 and 2 respectively. Within Radiation Oncologist assessor correlations were 0.50 and 0.72 in Series 1 and 2 respectively. Radiation Oncologist and GP assessor scores were significantly different for 4 doctors and for some scenarios. Anticipatory care was the only domain where GPs scored participants higher than Radiation Oncologist assessors. ConclusionThe assessment of GP consultation performance is not consistent across assessors from different disciplines even when they deploy the same assessment tool. 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/28312 10.1186/1471-2296-15-152 BioMed Central Ltd. fulltext
spellingShingle Assessment
Radiation therapy
Prostate cancer
Consultation
General practitioner
Side effects
Jiwa, Moyez
Halkett, Georgia
Meng, Xingqiong (Rosie)
Berg, Melissa
Rating general practitioner consultation performance in cancer care: does the specialty of assessors matter? A simulated patient study
title Rating general practitioner consultation performance in cancer care: does the specialty of assessors matter? A simulated patient study
title_full Rating general practitioner consultation performance in cancer care: does the specialty of assessors matter? A simulated patient study
title_fullStr Rating general practitioner consultation performance in cancer care: does the specialty of assessors matter? A simulated patient study
title_full_unstemmed Rating general practitioner consultation performance in cancer care: does the specialty of assessors matter? A simulated patient study
title_short Rating general practitioner consultation performance in cancer care: does the specialty of assessors matter? A simulated patient study
title_sort rating general practitioner consultation performance in cancer care: does the specialty of assessors matter? a simulated patient study
topic Assessment
Radiation therapy
Prostate cancer
Consultation
General practitioner
Side effects
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/28312