Plymouth evaluates doctor revalidation

A team from the Collaboration for the Advancement of Medical Education Research and Assessment (CAMERA) at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry has been commissioned by the General Medical Council (GMC) to develop plans for how the GMC could measure the regulatory impact of medical revalidation on doctors' professional practice. The research will result in a report to be published in the autumn. Revalidation for doctors was introduced in the UK in December 2012 and ensures all doctors demonstrate that they are ‘up to date and fit to practise’. It consists of a five-year cycle based on annual appraisals. The UK is the first country in the world to introduce revalidation across its whole healthcare system, covering GPs, hospital doctors, locums and those working in the independent sector. Now the system of checks is operational, more detail needs to be known about the impact of such professional regulation on practice. Although systems for assessing doctors’ ongoing knowledge and skills are established in North America and increasingly in Australasia, there has been relatively little focused research evaluating its introduction, its impact on professional practice, quality improvement, and patient safety.