A Realist Evaluation of a 72-Hour Readmission Audit and Feedback (A&F) Intervention in Emergency Medicine

Introduction Audit and feedback (A&F) interventions are intended to increase accountability and improve the quality of care; however, their impact can vary significantly. As performance feedback is implemented in healthcare, there is a growing need to determine how users interact with the data and how systems can achieve more consistent performance outcomes. This study aimed to understand the contexts, mechanisms, and outcomes of an emergency department 72-hour readmission A&F intervention. Methods Semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders were conducted and analyzed using thematic and template analysis techniques specifically aimed at identifying context, mechanism, and outcome configurations. Results Seventeen (17) physician interviews were conducted. We identified five outcomes of the intervention and the contexts and mechanisms contributing to them. Importantly, we identified that this A&F strategy could potentially have positive (improved follow-up of cases, improved discharge communication) and negative impacts (increased physician anxiety, potentially increased resource use) on physicians and departmental efficiency. Conclusion The 72-hour readmission alert A&F intervention generates a number of distinct outcome patterns that result from a variety of mechanisms acting in different contexts. Knowledge of these context-mechanism-outcome relationships may help implementers design and tailor performance feedback strategies.