Evaluation documents that should be available during a Site Visit for programs that use electronic resident evaluation systems
A growing number of programs/institutions use electronic evaluation systems or data management “suites” for collection, aggregation and presentation of a variety of data related to the administration of residency programs. The ACGME and the Council of Review Committee Chairs have clarified the expectation for information that should be available during the site visit, with the goal of allowing site visitors to verify the existence of a functioning evaluation process, including discussion of the evaluations with the residents. Evidence of this can be offered either via traditional paper-based evaluation forms or print-outs of electronic evaluations, and evidence these evaluations were reviewed with the resident, such as the residents’ signatures. If the program uses an electronic system, it should always maintain a paper record of the final evaluation at completion of training. For residents with academic or other performance problems, there should be additional hard-copy records, because the electronic evaluation parameters may not be appropriate or sufficient in cases where remediation, probation, non-renewal or dismissal needs to be documented.