Feedback is an essential part of learning. In the workplace, regular feedback can build trust, motivate employees, and reduce turnover. Peer feedback in particular is especially effective. Research shows that it provides opportunities to advance skill development, promote quality improvement, improve results, and support a culture of safety.1 Peers experience the same work conditions and challenges, which enhances their ability to give honest feedback.
Successful peer feedback evaluates an individual's performance against specific organizational standards, goals, and objectives. It rounds out feedback from supervisors to provide a fuller picture of personal and professional strengths, as well as opportunities for improvement.2 In the healthcare environment, peer feedback is necessary to improve standards of care and ensure that nurses are competent and practice within boundaries of professionally accepted norms. Garner3 found that formal peer review has gained acceptance as a method to improve nursing quality and safety. It can validate and advance nursing practice and promote the highest level of care for patients.
The Magnet(R) Connection
Peer feedback is a longstanding tenant of ANCC's Magnet Recognition Program(R). It is an essential element to ensure that nurses deliver safe, ethical, and evidence-based care.
The 2019 Magnet Application Manual defines peer feedback as "An objective process of giving and receiving deliberate input to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement for a nurse peer."4 Peers are described as "nurses with similar roles and education, clinical expertise, and levels of licensure."4
Peer feedback is part of the Exemplary Professional Practice component of the Magnet Model. In Magnet organizations, nurses at all levels engage in periodic formal performance reviews that include a self-appraisal and peer feedback process for assurance of competence and continuous professional development. To attain Magnet recognition, an organization must have systematic peer-review practices in place. Source of Evidence EP11 requires organizations to show the use of these practices for nurse executives, nurse managers, and clinical nurses.
Creating a Culture of Acceptance
Peer feedback is not intended to be an anxiety-producing exercise, but rather an opportunity for personal growth. It is a necessary factor for each one of us to meet our goals and fulfill our potential. Think about the term "360[degrees] feedback." The whole idea is to increase self-awareness and help us see our blind spots.
Still, experts agree that giving and receiving feedback do not come easily. In their book Thanks for the Feedback, authors Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen5 report that when they ask people to list their most difficult conversations, feedback always comes up. This applies to givers and receivers alike. "When we give feedback, we notice that the receiver isn't good at receiving it. And when we receive feedback, we notice that the giver isn't good at giving it," they write.5
So how can you cultivate an environment in which feedback is welcomed and encouraged? The Harvard Business Review's6Guide to Delivering Effective Feedback states that the better you can express yourself, the greater the opportunity to encourage positive change and growth. Likewise, LeClair-Smith et al1 found that nonpunitive peer feedback programs that incorporate evidence-based nursing practice, quality, and safety standards and are specifically targeted to improve patient outcomes were most effective.
Guidelines from the American Nurses Association recommend that peer feedback be practice-focused, timely, and conducted in the framework of a learning organization.7 A continuous learning culture that fosters a common commitment to achieving and sustaining desired quality outcomes will promote openness and acceptance of the feedback process and help your nurses feel safe.
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