A questionnaire for quality control in postgraduate medical education in Switzerland

BackgroundTo ensure high qualification standards in medical institutions, a questionnaire has been developed to evaluate the postgraduate medical education in Switzerland.AimThis article describes the development and longitudinal analysis of a questionnaire using eight scales to assess the quality of postgraduate medical education.MethodThe questionnaire has been administered to all residents every year since 2003. In 2020, 8,745 residents returned the questionnaire, resulting in a response rate of 70%. In addition, a survey is conducted annually among the directors of medical institutions.ResultsWe present results of the directors' survey and the resident evaluation from 2020, as well as longitudinal data over 16 years. The mean values of the eight scales remained stable or increased slightly over the years. The decision-making culture scale is generally rated best by the residents, while the evidence-based medicine scale is rated as the least good. The most important drivers of residents' satisfaction with a training site are the work environment and leadership culture scales. The directors perceive the evaluation to be fair and useful.ConclusionsThe questionnaire represents a reliable and useful tool for the quality control in postgraduate medical training. It provides yearly feedback to the directors regarding how the residents perceive their training giving insights for improvments.

Automated summary

This article describes the development and longitudinal analysis of a questionnaire used to evaluate the quality of postgraduate medical education in Switzerland. The questionnaire has been administered annually to all residents since 2003, with a response rate of 70% in 2020. Results show that the mean values of the eight scales remained stable or slightly increased over the years, with the decision-making culture scale rated highest by residents and the evidence-based medicine scale rated lowest. The work environment and leadership culture scales are identified as the most important factors affecting residents' satisfaction with a training site. The directors perceive the evaluation to be fair and useful.