Team assessment of behaviour: a high stakes assessment with potential for poor implementation and impaired validity.

Team assessment of behaviour (TAB) is the multi-source feedback assessment of professional behaviours that all UK foundation doctors must engage in twice during their two-year programme. TAB can identify the few underperforming trainees and provide feedback to consolidate the good practice of most. For optimum validity, TAB must be undertaken by a range of assessors, as specified in the national UK Foundation Programme curriculum. This study reports an audit of invalid TAB submissions over a three-year cycle in the West Midlands' Foundation Programme. In 2010, large numbers of TABs were invalid, owing to an incorrect selection or number of assessors. Introduction of validity checking before sign-off greatly improved the numbers of valid assessments in 2011. This was partially sustained in 2012. Assurance of assessment validity is important to ensure delivery of appropriate constructive feedback and to allow early detection and remediation of signs of poor professional behaviours in foundation doctors.