Using Feedback Intervention Theory to Guide Clinical Dashboard Design.

The provision of feedback to clinicians and organizations on the quality of care they provide is thought to influence clinician and organizational behavior leading to care improvements. Clinical Dashboards use data visualization techniques to provide feedback to individuals on their performance compared to quality metrics. In this paper we outline a theoretical approach to the design of a clinical dashboard; Feedback Intervention Theory (FIT). Priorities for feedback were identified using focus groups with home care nurses (n=61). Individual variation in graph literacy and numeracy among nurses and their ability to comprehend visualized data displays were evaluated using an online survey. The results from the focus group and survey were used to inform a prototype dashboard which was evaluated for usability with a separate sample of home care nurses. FIT provided a theoretical base for the dashboard design to ensure feedback that should positively impact clinician behavior.