The U.K. Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) has welcomed the General Medical Council's (GMC) publication of "Taking revalidation forward: Improving the process of relicensing for doctors" by Sir Keith Pearson.
RCR hopes simplification of the onerous and widely unpopular revalidation process will help with the country's serious radiologist shortage. Initial findings of an RCR survey of radiologists 55 and older found half or more would potentially delay their retirement date if there were a slimmed down, targeted approach to appraisal and revalidation.
"It serves no one well, especially patients, that highly experienced doctors are retiring early as a result of the demands of meeting inappropriate requirements of appraisal and revalidation," the RCR noted in a statement. "Revalidation is a dynamic process, and we await the publication of ongoing research to determine whether appraisal and revalidation have any positive impact and value, and are pleased that the results of any changes brought about as a result of Sir Keith's report will be carefully monitored."
The RCR particularly applauds certain recommendations in the review, such as the suggestion to reduce the administrative burden on doctors undergoing revalidation, developing better IT systems, and removing unnecessary requirements imposed by some employers greater than those mandated by the GMC.
