Behind closed doors

Abstract

This Personal View about feedback culture is based on our personal experiences as internal medicine chief residents with attendings, residents, and interns who came into our office to discuss concerns about team members. Our unique perspective as chief residents revealed a tendency amongst physicians at all levels of training to first raise these concerns behind closed doors, instead of with the learner directly. We highlight the need to shift feedback culture in medical training away from this practice towards a clinical “micro-coaching” approach.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Gurpreet Dhaliwal, MD, Sumant Ranji, MD, Jennifer Babik, MD, and Harry Hollander, MD for their helpful comments in the writing process.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Notes on contributors

Kevin Duan, MD, is a former chief resident and now Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco.

Leslie Sheu, MD, is a former chief resident and now Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco.