Up to 200 general practitioners will have their performance reviewed as part of a voluntary competence assurance scheme that the Medical Council will introduce in October.
The doctors will volunteer to undergo the process and receive self-assessment questionnaires. In addition eight of their medical and non-medical colleagues as well as 25 patients will be surveyed. Patients will be asked about their general satisfaction with their doctor's behaviour and about issues such as communications skills and explanations provided about their medical conditions and treatment.
The Medical Council said a third party would process the data and a summary of findings sent in confidence to the doctor concerned. In cases where significant difficulties were found, the council will be sent a copy of the report and the doctor offered a confidential review of their practice.
In the event of more serious concerns being identified the doctor will be asked to participate in a structured and confidential assessment of their practice by a team of trained peer and lay assessors.
Vice-president of the Medical Council Dr Colm Quigley said yesterday the voluntary professional practice review programme would initially begin with an assessment of 200 GPs. He said it would later be extended to cover 200 doctors in other specialties.
Under the Government's draft Medical Practitioners Bill, published last month, competence assurance would become mandatory for doctors.
Dr Quigley said the aim of the programme was to identify at an early stage those doctors who were performing poorly before any patient could get into trouble. Under the new plan doctors would have their practice reviewed on a five-year cycle.
Patients will not have access to the findings.
Dr Quigley said that in time patients would know that their doctors had undergone such practice assessment as those who did not would not be legally able to practise in Ireland.
He said that on completion of the pilot programme the Medical Council would carry out an examination on whether the proposed format for the assessment review had worked.
He said it was hoped that the new programme would result in a reduction in the numbers of Fitness to Practise complaints brought against doctors.
Last year the Medical Council received about 300 complaints. A total of 24 inquiries were carried out and in 15 cases these suggested that the doctor was performing below the expected standard.
