Public release of hospital quality data for referral practices in Germany: results from a cluster-randomised controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To evaluate the impact of different dissemination channels on the awareness and usage of hospital performance reports among referring physicians, as well as the usefulness of such reports from the referring physicians' perspective.

Data sources/study setting

Primary data collected from a survey with 277 referring physicians (response rate = 26.2%) in Nuremberg, Germany (03-06/2016).

Study design

Cluster-randomised controlled trial at the practice level. Physician practices were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (1) physicians in the control arm could become aware of the performance reports via mass media channels (Mass Media, [Formula: see text]=132, [Formula: see text]=147); (2) physicians in the intervention arm also received a printed version of

SUBMITTER: Emmert M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5615085 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature