ABSTRACT
As humans, we tend to particularly notice what is wrong with things and comment about them. What the appraiser is looking for is that concerns and complaints are dealt with well and resolved sensibly, ideally with some learning along the way. The part of the revalidation process is looking to see that complaints are dealt with well, if there are any trends or patterns and whether learning and altered behaviour are occurring as a result. Formally the appraiser is looking to see that complaints have been dealt with sensitively and sensibly. Complaints can be bruising experiences and leave emotional scars. One of the tasks an appraiser can sometimes usefully perform is to check that the doctor has recovered fully from the experience, and is not taking bad feeling forward into the next year. Just as complaints need analysing, compliments also need recording and analysing. They too are great feedback.
