360° feedback techniques (‘do we see ourselves as others see us?’) have been used extensively in the business sector for personal development. This paper describes a collaborative project in the UK in which the technique was contextualized for use in general practice, both as a personal development tool for individuals and as a practice development tool for the organization.
The application is based on questionnaires for completion by practice clinicians, members of staff and patients. These questionnaires investigate perceptions about (a) standards of performance (individual or organizational) in a number of competency areas (patient care, management, team-work, professional standards and consulting); and (b) the importance of these areas in terms of overall effectiveness/efficiency.
An iterative design was used to develop a computer program to aid data collection, automate data analysis and produce individualized results for participants/participating practices. The output identifies areas of effective performance and areas in need of improvement.
The application was piloted and evaluated in seven practices, results being fed back to participants by primary care facilitators. All practices found the 360° output valuable.
The computerized ‘Insight’ tool developed is sophisticated yet easy to use, having wide application in the areas of peer appraisal, practice planning and development.
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