Table 4
Attitudes towards the performance procedures. The number of doctors who agreed with each of the attitudinal statements about the performance procedures. Statements are ordered from greatest agreement to least agreement with the performance procedures, ordered on the basis of the Thurstonian scale value. The order of items in the original questionnaire is indicated in parentheses
| Do you think that the Performance Procedures: | Definitely disagree (%) | Probably disagree (%) | Probably agree (%) | Definitely agree (%) | Characteristics of those agreeing: | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Are well understood by most doctors? (1) | 84 (16) | 240 (44) | 185 (34) | 31 (6) | Qualified earlier; ↑social desirability; ↑knowledge Good Medical Practice | 2.25 |
| Are a desirable step towards the regular recertification of doctors? (11) | 82 (16) | 169 (32) | 228 (44) | 45 (9) | Women | 1.99 |
| Are reassuring the general public that the medical profession can put its own house in order? (2) | 25 (5) | 179 (33) | 289 (54) | 46 (9) | Qualified earlier; ↑social desirability; | 1.63 |
| Make it necessary for doctors to report deficient performance in their colleagues? (12) | 26 (5) | 138 (26) | 292 (55) | 72 (14) | — | 1.47 |
| Are a reason for doctors to be more defensive in their practice? (3) | 45 (8) | 163 (30) | 215 (40) | 114 (21) | Men; non-UK qualification; ↑emotional exhaustion | −0.04 |
| Cannot be used fairly for problems of attitude, interpersonal behaviour, or communication? (10) | 38 (7) | 167 (32) | 239 (45) | 82 (16) | General practice; non-UK qualified | −0.36 |
| Make all doctors vulnerable, since everyone does something everyday which might seem deficient? (6) | 50 (9) | 213 (40) | 200 (37) | 76 (14) | ↑Stress from uncertainty; general practice | −0.47 |
| Are unfair to some types of doctor (for example locums, single handed practitioners, overseas graduates)? (7) | 93 (18) | 266 (51) | 128 (24) | 40 (8) | Non-UK qualification; ↑stress from uncertainty | −1.11 |
| Will affect GPs the most because hospital doctors find it easier to cover each others' deficiencies? (9) | 113 (21) | 236 (45) | 132 (25) | 46 (9) | General practice; non-UK qualified; ↑stress from uncertainty | −1.17 |
| Will impair medical morale and disrupt doctors' teamwork? (5) | 86 (16) | 285 (53) | 135 (25) | 30 (6) | ↓Knowledge Good Medical Practice; ↑stress (general health questionnaire); heard more about performance procedures | −1.18 |
| Are principally window dressing to stop criticism from politicians and the media? (4) | 94 (17) | 261 (48) | 148 (27) | 37 (7) | ↓Knowledge Good Medical Practice; ↑Emotional exhaustion | −1.18 |
| Are only appropriate for problems of technical competence? (8) | 158 (30) | 274 (52) | 86 (16) | 12 (2) | General practice; non-UK qualified | −1.83 |
