Performance Appraisal Review Workshop: Empowering Excellence

Performance Appraisal Review Workshop: Empowering Excellence

On the bright morning of 28th July 2023, the Central Library at Believers Church Medical College Hospital witnessed an engaging and insightful workshop on Performance Appraisal Review. The workshop aimed to assess and enhance the competency, skills, and effectiveness of our esteemed staff. Conducted with the spirit of fostering growth and improvement, the workshop proved to be a significant step in empowering excellence among our team members.

Session 1: Group Discussion - Feedback Report

The first session delved into evaluating various key aspects of performance, emphasizing technical expertise, time management, communication skills, teamwork, taking initiatives, dependability, accountability, and leadership skills.

Technical Expertise - Competency: Participants were assessed based on their qualifications, training, and competency in performing tasks with accuracy and efficiency. Empowering our staff with the right knowledge and skills is essential in ensuring their continuous growth and contribution to the organization.

• Technical expertise - competency is the ability to apply relevant knowledge, skills and experience to perform tasks and solve problems in a medical college hospital setting.
• To measure technical expertise - competency, you can use a combination of tools such as:
  • Global rating scales that assess the overall performance of a healthcare professional based on predefined criteria such as qualification, training, competency and empowerment. For example, you can use the ACHE Healthcare Executive Competencies Assessment Tool1 to rate the level of expertise from novice (1) to expert (5) in each criterion.
  • Procedure-specific rating scales that evaluate the technical skills required for specific surgical or clinical procedures. For example, you can use the Tools for measuring technical skills during gynaecologic surgery to rate the performance of a surgeon in each sub-step of the procedure using a Likert scale from poor (1) to excellent (5).
  • Error assessment tools that identify and quantify the errors or complications that occur during a procedure or task. For example, you can use the Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) system to record the number and type of errors such as communication breakdowns, situational awareness lapses, decision making errors or leadership issues.
• To analyze and report the results of the measurement tools, you can use healthcare performance measurements such as:
  • Benchmarking that compares the performance of a healthcare professional or a hospital unit with established standards or best practices in the field. For example, you can use the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) to benchmark the outcomes of surgical procedures against national averages or peer groups.
  • Quality indicators that measure the quality of care delivered by a healthcare professional or a hospital unit based on predefined criteria such as patient safety, clinical effectiveness, patient satisfaction or efficiency. For example, you can use the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Quality Indicators to measure aspects of quality such as mortality, readmission, complications or utilization.
  • Feedback mechanisms that collect and provide feedback from patients, peers, supervisors or other stakeholders on the performance of a healthcare professional or a hospital unit. For example, you can use patient satisfaction surveys, peer review systems, 360-degree feedback tools or online platforms to gather and share feedback on technical expertise - competency.

Time Management: Time management is a crucial aspect of professional efficiency. Participants were evaluated on their punctuality, timely completion of assigned tasks, effective planning, prioritizing activities, and their ability to respond promptly to events and meetings.

• Time management is the ability to plan and control how you spend your time to effectively accomplish your goals. In a medical college hospital setting, time management is crucial for healthcare professionals to balance their clinical, administrative, and personal responsibilities.
• To improve time management skills, healthcare professionals can follow these principles:
  • Get it out of your head: Capture the things you need to do, both personal and professional, in a system you trust.
  • Prioritize prioritizing: Regularly dedicate time to prioritizing for the day, week, or month ahead before you accumulate more actions.
  • Automate or delegate: Create an autopilot for tasks that can be automated or delegated1.
  • Don’t neglect self-care: Take time for yourself to prevent decision fatigue and ensure professional satisfaction and personal joy.
• To measure time management skills in a medical college hospital setup, you can use tools such as:
  • Time tracking apps or diaries to record how much time is spent on different tasks and identify areas for improvement.
  • Feedback mechanisms such as surveys or performance reviews to gather feedback from patients, peers, supervisors or other stakeholders on time management skills.
  • Quality indicators that measure the efficiency of care delivery based on predefined criteria such as patient waiting times, appointment scheduling, or resource utilization.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Effective communication is the backbone of any successful organization. Participants were judged on their inter-departmental communication, accuracy, and completeness in reporting, resolving miscommunications, and their ability to share ideas effectively.

• To improve communication and interpersonal skills, medical students can participate in interventions such as:
  • Tailored and specific feedback, which probably improves staff communication skills compared to generalised or no feedback.
  • Electronic/online communication skills interventions, which are equivalent to face-to-face education in some communication outcomes (empathy, rapport) but may have a small negative impact on information giving skills.
  • Simulated patient versus peer role play interventions, which may have little to no difference between effects on empathy. Other realms of communication skills were unable to be compared and hence overall skills comparison is uncertain.
• To measure communication and interpersonal skills in a medical college hospital setup, you can use tools such as:
  • Global rating scales that assess the overall performance of a healthcare professional based on predefined criteria such as empathy, relationship building/rapport, information gathering skills, explanation and planning skills, specific communication tasks (e.g. open/closed questioning) and simulated or real patient appraisals of the consultation.
  • Feedback mechanisms such as surveys or performance reviews to gather feedback from patients, peers, supervisors or other stakeholders on communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Quality indicators that measure the effectiveness of care delivery based on predefined criteria such as patient satisfaction or clinical outcomes.

Team Work and Collaboration: Teamwork and collaboration are vital for the smooth functioning of any organization. Participants' contributions to tasks, identification of roles and skills, conflict handling, simplification of tasks, and intra and inter-team relations were taken into account.

• To improve teamwork and collaboration, healthcare professionals can participate in interventions such as:
  • Training programs based on predefined principles such as Crew Resource Management (CRM) or Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) that focus on improving team skills such as communication, situational awareness, and performance assessment.
  • Tools that structure, facilitate, or trigger teamwork such as Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation (SBAR), (de)briefing checklists, rounds, communication technology, or monitoring and feedback.
  • Organizational (re)design that focuses on (re)designing structures to stimulate team processes and team functioning.
• To measure teamwork and collaboration in a medical college hospital setup, you can use tools such as:
  • Global rating scales that assess the overall performance of a healthcare team based on predefined criteria such as communication, coordination, or mutual goals.
  • Feedback mechanisms such as surveys or performance reviews to gather feedback from patients, peers, supervisors or other stakeholders on teamwork and collaboration skills.
  • Quality indicators that measure the effectiveness of care delivery based on predefined criteria such as patient outcomes or resource utilization.

New Learning and Taking Initiatives: Adaptability and the willingness to learn and innovate are highly valued. The number of training sessions attended, application of knowledge and experience, and the development of new plans for cost-cutting, income generation, and efficiency improvements were evaluated.

• New learning and taking initiatives are essential for healthcare professionals to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in their field and to continuously improve their skills and knowledge.
• To promote new learning and taking initiatives, medical college hospitals can implement programs such as:
  • Continuing medical education (CME) programs that provide healthcare professionals with opportunities to learn about the latest developments in their field and to earn credits towards maintaining their professional licenses.
  • Mentorship programs that pair experienced healthcare professionals with less experienced colleagues to provide guidance, support, and opportunities for learning and growth.
  • Quality improvement initiatives that encourage healthcare professionals to identify areas for improvement in their practice and to implement changes to improve patient care.
• To measure the effectiveness of new learning and taking initiatives, medical college hospitals can use tools such as:
  • Performance evaluations that assess the knowledge, skills, and abilities of healthcare professionals before and after participating in new learning or quality improvement initiatives.
  • Feedback mechanisms such as surveys or focus groups to gather feedback from patients, peers, supervisors or other stakeholders on the impact of new learning or quality improvement initiatives.
  • Quality indicators that measure the effectiveness of care delivery based on predefined criteria such as patient outcomes or resource utilization.

Dependability & Accountability: Participants' sense of responsibility, meeting deadlines, maintaining work quality, and responsiveness to feedback were assessed to ensure a high level of dependability and accountability.

• Dependability and accountability are essential traits for healthcare professionals to ensure that they are reliable and responsible in their roles.
• To promote dependability and accountability, medical college hospitals can implement programs such as:
  • Performance evaluations that assess the dependability and accountability of healthcare professionals based on predefined criteria such as attendance, punctuality, adherence to protocols, or completion of tasks.
  • Ethics and compliance training that educates healthcare professionals on the importance of dependability and accountability in their roles and provides them with the tools and resources to meet these expectations.
  • Feedback mechanisms such as surveys or performance reviews to gather feedback from patients, peers, supervisors or other stakeholders on the dependability and accountability of healthcare professionals.
• To measure dependability and accountability in a medical college hospital setup, you can use tools such as:
  • Global rating scales that assess the overall performance of a healthcare professional based on predefined criteria such as attendance, punctuality, adherence to protocols, or completion of tasks.
  • Feedback mechanisms such as surveys or performance reviews to gather feedback from patients, peers, supervisors or other stakeholders on the dependability and accountability of healthcare professionals.
  • Quality indicators that measure the effectiveness of care delivery based on predefined criteria such as patient outcomes or resource utilization.

Leadership Skills: Leadership is about guiding and inspiring others towards success. Participants' communication, commanding power, empathy, decision-making, critical thinking, education, emotional stability, helping mentality, empowerment of teams, and overall personality were considered in evaluating leadership skills.

• Leadership skills are essential for healthcare executives to effectively plan, direct, and coordinate healthcare services. This may involve leading a specific department or managing an entire facility.
• To improve leadership skills, healthcare executives can focus on developing the following qualities:
  • Integrity: Healthcare by its very nature deals with moral issues regarding life and death. As such, it demands the highest ethical standards.
  • Vision: Healthcare executives need to see the big picture. Leading a staff into the future requires preparation, goal setting, and a clear vision.
  • Strong listening skills: Leaders earn respect when they demonstrate respect.
• To measure leadership skills in a medical college hospital setup, you can use tools such as:
  • Performance evaluations that assess the leadership skills of healthcare executives based on predefined criteria such as vision, integrity, or listening skills.
  • Feedback mechanisms such as surveys or performance reviews to gather feedback from patients, peers, supervisors or other stakeholders on the leadership skills of healthcare executives.
  • Quality indicators that measure the effectiveness of care delivery based on predefined criteria such as patient outcomes or resource utilization.

The workshop provided valuable insights and feedback to participants, helping them understand their strengths and areas of improvement. By focusing on continuous learning and development, Believers Church Medical College Hospital aims to create a thriving work culture where excellence is nurtured and celebrated.

As we move forward, we are committed to promoting growth and empowering our dedicated staff to achieve greater heights in their professional journeys. Together, we will continue to uphold the values of compassion, excellence, and service that define our institution's legacy.

Link to the summary presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oqbkjwkLdHIYJOxow8bwewpOTqEGmHLf/view?usp=drive_link