Nurses' perceptions of feedback from cardiac rehabilitation registries : a qualitative study across the UK and Denmark

Background/Aims Feedback on performance is a widely used strategy aiming to improve quality of care; however, limited research exists regarding nurses' perceptions of feedback. This article explores cardiac rehabilitation nurse leads' perceptions of the feedback provided through two national registries. Method This was a qualitative study which used semi-structured interviews. Cardiac rehabilitation nurses (n=12) were strategically recruited across the UK and Denmark. The transcribed interviews were analysed using content analysis, and differences and similarities were identified. Results Overall, five themes emerged; accessibility, reliability, usefulness, relevance and attitudes towards public reporting. In the UK, the nurses perceived that data regarding feedback were accessible, trustworthy, useful and reflected the important elements in cardiac rehabilitation. However, in Denmark, the nurses perceived that feedback data were unavailable, had reliability issues and only partly reflected the important aspects of cardiac rehabilitation. Nurses in both countries were ambivalent towards public reporting. Conclusions In order to facilitate high quality service delivery and improvement, registries should consider cardiac rehabilitation nurse leads' perceptions when delivering feedback.