Evaluation System Problems and Professional Behavior: The Perspective of Healthcare Providers in Iran

Background and Objectives: This paper has attempted to explore physicians and staffs’ views about evaluation system problems and its impact on maintaining professional behavior in clinical setting within the context of Iran. Methods: Data were collected through 22 focus group sessions from October 2015 to March 2016. The participants were selected using purposive sampling. The research topic was introduced in the beginning of each session based on a list of the code of professionalism approved by Tehran University of Medical Sciences (2013) and the participants were asked to review the items and express their comments regarding barriers to respect each item or overall barriers to maintaining high standard of professional behavior. After each session, the related audio file was transcribed and coded. Finally, the data were analyzed using content analysis. Findings: Evaluation challenges were expressed in 173 codes based on which “lack of appropriate evaluation”, “weakness in supervision”, and “feedback system problems” were identified as the barriers to maintaining high standard professionalism. Conclusions: In order to improve professionalism in clinical setting, there is a need for supervision and evaluation systems to be appropriately defined, evaluations to be performed in safe environments, proper feedback to be provided for professional performance in individual and group levels, and finally the effect of these measures on professionalism improvement to be constantly assessed.