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Christopher Mathieu

Christopher Mathieu

Associate Professor | Senior Lecturer

Christopher Mathieu

Feedback gap and strategies for handling criticism in early surgical career

Author

  • Hanne Pedersen
  • Alexander Tejera
  • Christopher Mathieu
  • Britt Marie Johansson
  • Magnus Anderberg
  • Kristine Hagelsteen

Summary, in English

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore experiences and challenges in handling feedback and criticism among early career surgeons. Design: This study is part of a prospective, exploratory, longitudinal study evaluating surgical residents throughout residency. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with medical doctors applying to a locum or residency position in a surgical specialty. Analysis was performed using a cross-sectional thematic analysis. Setting: Departments in general surgery, urology, and pediatric surgery at seven hospitals in Sweden. Participants: Contact information to applicants interviewed for a locum or resident position at the included departments were forwarded to the research group. The research group contacted applicants for inclusion and 50 were included. Results: Four themes were constructed in relation to the participants' management strategies and experiences: 1) reflection and processing of criticism, 2) emotional response to criticism, 3) cautious feedback culture, and 4) navigating criticism in a hierarchical system. Conclusion: This study revealed barriers to an effective feedback culture in a pool of applicants for a residency or locum position in surgical disciplines. A culture of reluctance to give feedback was a strong and common denominator. A process of filtering feedback could possibly be a method of survival and thriving in the contemporary workplace. Suggestions and initiatives to change the feedback culture are proposed.

Department/s

  • Pediatric surgery
  • Birgit Rausing Centre for Medical Humanities (BRCMH)
  • CIRCLE
  • Sociology

Publishing year

2025-12

Language

English

Pages

81-88

Publication/Series

Surgery Open Science

Volume

28

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Elsevier

Topic

  • Surgery

Keywords

  • Feedback
  • Feedback culture
  • Learning environment
  • Resident
  • Surgery

Status

Published

Research group

  • Pediatric surgery

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2589-8450