Ask the expert: How should perception data be collected?

Last week's "Ask the expert" column addressed when it is appropriate to use perception data to evaluate physicians' performance. But collecting data on hard-to-measure competencies, such as communication and professionalism, can be difficult.

Hospitals can collect active and/or passive perception data. Active data is collected by the parties that will be using the data and is typically structured using a series of questions or ratings, including evaluation forms, focus groups, survey forms , and survey interviews. Passive data includes feedback, such as incident reports, complaints, and compliments, that are not specifically solicited by the group that will use the data. This type of data is typically based on individual events.

Although both types of data can be useful, active methods for collecting perception data have several advantages over passive methods.

• Specific questions can be asked to evaluate specific expectations
• Data can be aggregated from larger groups to minimize the potential for personal bias of an individual
• Data can be aggregated to allow for interpretation within a comparative group rather than an absolute standard. This is particularly important because validating an absolute rating score is much more difficult than validating a comparative score

For more information on collecting perception data, please see Measuring Physician Competency by Rober Marder, MD; Mark Smith, MD; Marla Smith, MHSA; and Vicky Searcy, CPMSM.