Faculty Supervised Surgical Morning Report: A Method for Evaluating Residents Performance

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceived efficacy of a daily surgical morning report meeting on improved physician communication, and as a means of evaluating resident performance of the ACGME core competencies. Methods: Anonymous web-based surveys of involved house staff were given before and after the implementation of the surgical morning report meeting. This study was conducted at New York Hospital Queens in Flushing, New York. This institution is a university-affiliated community teaching hospital. Surgical house staffs present at the morning report meeting were surveyed. Results: The majority of surgical house staff surveyed believed that this meeting improved the quality of hand-offs and communication between shifts. The presence of a faculty member, review of radiological studies, and case discussions were perceived as important elements. This meeting allowed an ongoing assessment of resident performance in several important core competencies. Conclusion: Morning report is a valuable addition to surgical training programs, in that it improves Communication and hand-offs between resident shifts. The meeting provides an additional point of measurement of resident performance of the ACGME core competencies.