The effect of electronic audit and feedback in primary care and factors
facilitating effectiveness: a systematic review.
Abstract
Rationale, aims and objectives: Little is known about the effect of
electronic audit and feedback (A&F) in primary care and its features
affecting intervention effectiveness. The aim of this systematic review
is: 1) to assess electronic A&F’s effectiveness in primary care and 2)
to investigate facilitating factors of electronic A&F in primary care,
as proposed in previous research. These factors are the use of
benchmarks, frequency, cognitive load and evidence-based aspect of the
feedback. Methods: The authors searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and
CENTRAL from 2010 onwards by replicating the search strategy provided in
the last Cochrane review on A&F. Two independent reviewers assessed the
records for their eligibility, performed the data extraction and
evaluated the risk of bias of the included studies using a tool provided
by Cochrane. Results: Our search resulted in 8,744 records, including
the 140 RCTs from the last Cochrane Review, of which 431 full-text
articles were assessed for their eligibility. Twenty-nine articles were
included, of which 22 studies (76%) showed an effect of the electronic
A&F intervention. Of these, only 3 studies (10.5%), targeting the
quality of diabetes care and the prescription of antibiotics by dentist
& physicians, met all the investigated feedback features and were
effective. There was a high heterogeneity in the results and the design
of the A&F interventions, causing a meta-analysis to be unreliable.
Conclusion: This systematic review included 29 articles describing an
electronic A&F intervention in primary care, of which 22 studies (76%)
showed an effect of the intervention. It was not feasible to compare the
different electronic A&F interventions and their facilitating factors
because they were designed and implemented very diversely. Developing a
framework or methodology for automated A&F interventions in primary
care could be useful for investigating future interventions although
further research is necessary.