Evaluating the evaluation: A qualitative analysis to understand faculty evaluation programs in hospital medicine

Little is known about the structure and desired outcomes of hospitalist performance evaluations at academic medical centers. We conducted a multicenter open-ended survey study with theory-guided qualitative analysis to summarize essential components and key outcomes for successful hospital medicine (HM) faculty evaluation programs. Twenty-two of 107 (20.6%) HM leaders responded to the survey. Frequently identified inputs were human, organizational, and financial resources. The main areas of evaluation were clinical performance and teaching. Performance evaluation or self-assessment forms were the most often utilized evaluation tools. Half of the respondents highlighted faculty appreciation as a main output of the evaluation. Important faculty-level outcomes were academic promotion, while retention and faculty engagement were salient organizational outcomes. Our multi-site study identified important pathways that shape the implementation and maintenance of successful HM faculty evaluation processes. These findings provide a strategic framework for evaluating and refining faculty evaluation programs over time.