Appraisal and junior medical staff.

A group of junior medical staff in a non-teaching district were surveyed by questionnaire to see how many had been appraised during their postgraduate training and to ascertain their attitude to appraisal. Of the 76% who replied 23% had had a formal appraisal but only 5% had had a structured interview; a further 42% had had an informal chat but 34% had never had any meaningful feedback. Nearly all the responders wished to be appraised on a wide range of skills, 66% wanting appraisal both during and at the end of the post held. The value of appraisal in stress management, improving performance and its relation to audit are discussed.