From Receiving to Giving: A Scoping Review on Teaching and Assessing Residents as Feedback Providers
TL;DR
It is highlighted that programs may benefit from conceptualising feedback as a crucial competency that residents must longitudinally develop during their training.
Abstract
Background Feedback is a cornerstone of medical education. Although residents are routinely expected to provide feedback to junior learners, this skill is often neglected as a competency in postgraduate medical education programs. To our knowledge, there have been no scoping reviews on how residents are taught or assessed to provide feedback. Methods Following the Arksey and O’Malley framework, we performed a database search (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycInfo, Web of Science) from inception to October 2025. Title-abstract and full-text screening were completed in duplicate, after training on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data extraction included year, country, program, level, and narrative information on the teaching and assessment of resident-provided feedback. Analysis included descriptive statistics and an iterative process of theme development. Results After 2518 duplicates were removed, 8613 studies underwent abstract-title screening, 89 underwent full-text screening, and 68 were included in the review. Of the included studies, nearly half (48.5%) were published after 2019. Perspectives from 24 specialties and 11 countries were highlighted. Senior (second/third year) residents were the most represented group. Although 47 (69.1%) studies referenced teaching modalities, 32 (47.1%) of those were composed of one-off Resident-As-Teacher workshops or self-guided learning, whereas longitudinal curricula were uncommon. 21 (30.9%) studies referenced assessment modalities, although largely informal (25.0%). Three major themes were identified: (1) the introductory nature of feedback education, (2) the effectiveness of comprehensive curricula, and (3) a need for further formal assessment. Conclusions Residents most frequently described experiences with brief workshops and informal assessment by peers and faculty. When dedicated teaching and assessment were incorporated, residents reported increased confidence and demonstrated increased proficiency in delivering feedback. Most importantly, this review has highlighted that programs may benefit from conceptualising feedback as a crucial competency that residents must longitudinally develop during their training.