INCEPT

What

INCEPT (INviting Co-workers to Evaluate Physicians Tool) collects feedback about the performance of medical specialists with the use of a short questionnaire. The questionnaire evaluates different competencies of medical specialists.

Why?

How does a medical specialist perform or practice within the complex environment of a clinic, operation room, meeting room, the medical professional group, the hospital and the healthcare system? This question is posed not only by the medical profession self, but also by society. With the help of the INCEPT measurement-and-improvement system it is possible to assess how individual medical specialists performs, according to their peers, co-workers, and residents.

Receiving feedback can be motivating and supporting for further professional development as a medical specialist.

How?

Assessment of medical specialists’ professional performance is done by the use of questionnaires. Respondents from various disciplines and positions fill out the same questionnaire to rate the specialist on several performance domains. The medical specialist himself also self-evaluates. The questionnaires used for the INCEPT system have been developed by the Amsterdam University Medical Center. The development was based on literature research, combining other (parts of) validated questionnaires. The quality of the questionnaire has been examined as part of ongoing research, which resulted in the following publication: “Validation of the INCEPT: a multisource feedback tool for capturing different perspectives on physicians’ professional performance. The development and implementation of the INCEPT system is a part of a PhD dissertation.

By whom?

Medical specialists evaluate themselves and are evaluated by (8) peers (from one’s own professional group and also from other specialty groups), (8) co-workers and (8) residents. Medical specialists self-select who they want to invite for the evaluation. Completion of the questionnaire takes only a few minutes.

Anonymity

Participation in the INCEPT is anonymous for the respondents. The feedback report, which the medical specialist receives, contains only the number of respondents, and no specific details about their respondents.

Feedback report

Medical specialists receive an individual INCEPT feedback report with the results of all evaluations, including scores, written feedback and their self-evaluation scores. After approximately a month, respondents have completed the questionnaires and the web-based application generates a fully anonymous feedback report. Insight into individual performance can be the start of reflection, meaningful conversation and possible change.

Webbased evaluation

The evaluation via INCEPT is completely web based. Filling out the questionnaires as well as receiving of the individual feedback reports per specialist is completely automatic. The security of the INCEPT system adheres to all relevant safety requirements.

Further information on the INCEPT is available here (in Dutch).