Do GP trainers use feedback in drawing up their Personal Development Plans (PDPs)? Results from a quantitative study.

Background: General practice (GP) trainers play a key role GP trainees' education. To stimulate development of trainer competencies a Personal Development Plan (PDP) can be helpful, especially when feedback is incorporated.

Aims: To investigate to what extent GP trainers use feedback in PDPs.

Methods: GP trainers were provided with three feedback sources: trainees' rating scores, trainees' narrative comments, and self-assessment scores. Trainers were instructed to use these while drawing up PDP goals. With quantitative analyses the extent to feedback sources were used was determined.

Results: Of the trainers 93% submitted a PDP. More than 75% of goals were based on provided feedback. Multiple sources addressing the same issue increased feedback use. If two sources pointed in the same direction, feedback was used more often if one of them concerned "narrative comments". Ratings were lowest for GP-related Expertise and Teaching Skills. Most goals defined concerned these domains. Fewer goals regarded Personal Functioning. Proportion of feedback used concerning Personal functioning was lowest.

Conclusions: GP trainers use most feedback and address issues most commented upon. Narrative comments deserve a profound place when eliciting feedback. Research into the quality with which feedback is used in PDP goals should complement these results.