What do quantitative ratings and qualitative comments tell us about general surgery residents' progress toward independent practice? Evidence from a 5-year longitudinal cohort.

BACKGROUND: This study examines the alignment of quantitative and qualitative assessment data in end-of-rotation evaluations using longitudinal cohorts of residents progressing throughout the five-year general surgery residency.

METHODS: Rotation evaluation data were extracted for 171 residents who trained between July 2011 and July 2016. Data included 6069 rotation evaluations forms completed by 38 faculty members and 164 peer-residents. Qualitative comments mapped to general surgery milestones were coded for positive/negative feedback and relevance.

RESULTS: Quantitative evaluation scores were significantly correlated with positive/negative feedback, r = 0.52 and relevance, r = -0.20, p < .001. Themes included feedback on leadership, teaching contribution, medical knowledge, work ethic, patient-care, and ability to work in a team-based setting. Faculty comments focused on technical and clinical abilities; comments from peers focused on professionalism and interpersonal relationships.

CONCLUSIONS: We found differences in themes emphasized as residents progressed. These findings underscore improving our understanding of how faculty synthesize assessment data.