Pediatric caregiver involvement in the assessment of physicians

BACKGROUND: Given the growth and benefits of consumerist and family-centred approaches to pediatric health care, there is a need to involve pediatric caregivers in the assessment of their children’s physicians. DISCUSSION: We present interconnected questions that are important to address in order to facilitate pediatric caregiver involvement in the assessment of their children’s physicians. SUMMARY: Pediatric caregivers can be valuable assessors of physicians’ non-technical skills. It is important to conduct additional research on caregiver involvement in assessment activities and create a reflective discourse on this topic. To ensure that pediatric caregivers’ assessments of physicians are formally recognized and advantageous, it is important to understand: (a) what pediatric caregivers can assess; (b) what assessment tools exist for pediatric caregivers; (c) how to create appropriate assessment tools for pediatric caregivers; (d) how to collect pediatric caregivers’ assessments; (e) how to increase the legitimacy, use, and effectiveness of pediatric caregivers’ assessments; and (f) the consequences of pediatric caregiver assessment.