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Objective: To explore the self-reported value of Peer Review Groups (PRGs) by Australian psychiatrists, focussing on learning and wellbeing., Methods: A cross-sectional mixed-methods online survey of psychiatrists registered with the NSW Branch Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) who had attended a PRG in the previous 12 months., Results: Respondents described PRG participation as supportive to their learning and to their professional wellbeing by sharing professional experiences, emotional support for the inherent stresses of practice, the provision of a space for debriefing and the amelioration of professional isolation. Difficulties or challenges in group functioning were reported rarely and included new group member selection and limitations to individual support provided by the group., Conclusions: The PRG form of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is unique, popular and highly valued by psychiatrists. In addition to supporting learning, PRGs provide a collegial space for processing of emotional aspects of practice that in turn supports wellbeing. Other healthcare professionals might benefit from similar self-directed, self-selected small group peer contact for CPD.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine Australian psychiatrists' experience of participation in a small group learning format of continuing professional development, known as peer review groups (PRGs), with a particular emphasis on group structure and functions., Method: An exploratory mixed-methods study comprising a survey (n=77) and semistructured interviews (n=6) with Australian psychiatrists participating in a PRG in the previous 12 months., Results: Qualitative findings indicate that PRGs address experiential learning through a focus on both breadth and specificity of work, as well as participants' experiences. Participants described using PRGs as a forum to manage difficult and complex work (through critiquing work, learning from one another, considering theory and guidelines, benchmarking, validating, reflecting and generalising learning) and to manage stress and well-being associated with crises, everyday stress and professional isolation. Particular structural aspects of PRGs considered essential to achieve these functions were self-selection of members, self-direction of meeting content and provision of a safe environment. These findings were convergent with the quantitative findings from scale survey data. Difficulties experienced during PRG participation are also described., Conclusion: Qualitative and quantitative findings from psychiatry PRGs demonstrate how practice-based professional experience functions as both a source of learning and of collegial connection that contributes to well-being and reduction in professional stress. Study limitations and future research directions are discussed., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objectives: To describe what is reported in the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) literature on small group learning formats in medicine, including the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) CPD Peer Review Groups (PRGs)., Method: A literature review of international peer-reviewed publications in relation to the use of small group learning formats for CPD in medicine., Results: Small groups are commonly used as a learning format in medical CPD, primarily in general practice, but are little researched. Such groups take differing forms and they are valued by participants for a range of purposes, having effects on professionalism, clinical performance and doctors' wellbeing., Conclusion: We believe that the contribution of these groups to medical CPD should be further explored. To this end, this review forms the first part of a research project focussing on the RANZCP PRG model used by Australian and New Zealand psychiatrists.

Background: Despite the widespread use of accreditation in many countries, and prevailing beliefs that accreditation is associated with variables contributing to clinical care and organisational outcomes, little systematic research has been conducted to examine its validity as a predictor of healthcare performance., Objective: To determine whether accreditation performance is associated with self-reported clinical performance and independent ratings of four aspects of organisational performance., Design: Independent blinded assessment of these variables in a random, stratified sample of health service organisations., Settings: Acute care: large, medium and small health-service organisations in Australia. Study participants Nineteen health service organisations employing 16 448 staff treating 321 289 inpatients and 1 971 087 non-inpatient services annually, representing approximately 5% of the Australian acute care health system., Main Measures: Correlations of accreditation performance with organisational culture, organisational climate, consumer involvement, leadership and clinical performance. Results Accreditation performance was significantly positively correlated with organisational culture (rho=0.618, p=0.005) and leadership (rho=0.616, p=0.005). There was a trend between accreditation and clinical performance (rho=0.450, p=0.080). Accreditation was unrelated to organisational climate (rho=0.378, p=0.110) and consumer involvement (rho=0.215, p=0.377)., Conclusions: Accreditation results predict leadership behaviours and cultural characteristics of healthcare organisations but not organisational climate or consumer participation, and a positive trend between accreditation and clinical performance is noted.

This paper reviews the literature concerning the current status of peer review of psychotherapeutic treatments in psychiatry. Accounts of the aims and mechanisms of peer review, administrative issues and the effects of peer review on patient care and professional practice are examined.