Peer review using a paired-comparison technique

A paired-comparison technique is used to enable surgical residents and attending surgeons to make peer judgments of each other. Comparative peer judgments were made in three areas: The ability of the surgeon to make a diagnosis and to decide on a plan of active medical care, the operating ability of the surgeon, and the postoperative care of the patient. This method of peer judgment ensures the confidentiality of those making the judgments, and the analysis results in a final ranking of the surgeons and surgical residents with indicated significant differences (P < 0.05) among them. The technique also includes an assessment of how consistent each judge is in making comparisons of fellow surgeons.