Abstract
Background: Clinical Quality Registries (CQRs) are structured databases that collect data to monitor and improve nursing care quality, support clinical decision-making, and reduce costs by providing actionable feedback to nurses. Clinical quality registries (CQRs) are critical in advancing learning health systems by enabling evidence-based decision-making, data sharing, and integrating research into clinical care. Given that nurses play a critical role in patient care due to their extensive interaction with patients, it is imperative that they have access to patient health information. Limitations and challenges in accessing health information, receiving feedback, and the potential loss of knowledge regarding critical patient data may result in adverse outcomes in the patient treatment process. This scoping review investigates the barriers and facilitators to utilising CQR feedback in acute healthcare settings.
Methods: Following Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review framework, searches were conducted in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, and grey literature for qualitative and mixed-method studies published in English post-2000. Five reviewers screened and extracted data, mapping findings to the COM-B model.
Results: From 9,323 identified articles, six studies from Australia, Canada, Sweden, Iran, the UK, and Denmark met inclusion criteria, involving 194 participants from diverse healthcare roles. Twenty descriptive themes were synthesised into six analytical themes: 1) data access, 2) nurses’ knowledge, 3) management involvement, 4) resourcing, 5) feedback timing, and 6) nurses trust in data. Barriers included insufficient training, resource shortages, data complexity, and technical challenges. Enablers included management support, benchmarking, intuitive registries, and timely feedback.
Conclusion: Improvements can be made by addressing barriers including training gaps and technical issues, while leveraging enablers such as timely feedback and management support. This can enhance the use of CQR feedback to improve nursing practice and patient outcomes.