Effect of nursing audit and feedback on orthopedic patients’ care outcomes in selected hospitals in southeastern Nigeria

Background: Despite the proven benefits of audit and feedback interventions in record keeping, very few studies have examined its effect on patient outcomes when applied in nursing practice. Objective: This study examined the effect of nursing audit and feedback on orthopedic patients’ outcomes in three tertiary hospitals in southeastern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A single-group, pretest–posttest design was applied to a convenience sample of 150 orthopedic patients from November 2019 to March 2021. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS 25. Results: At baseline, the majority of the respondents rated their perceived general health (54.7%), physical function (60.7%), role performance due to physical limitations (55.3%), role performance due to emotional limitations (65.3%), vitality (38.0%), mental health (38.0%), and social function (45.3%) as fair, but rated their bodily comfort (44.7%) as poor. At 21 days after audit and feedback, the majority of the respondents rated their perceived general health (40.0%), role performance due to physical limitations (74.7%), mental health (58.0%), and social function (54.6%) as very good; physical function (60.7%) and role performance due to emotional limitation (50.7%) as good, but rated their vitality (44.7%) and bodily comfort (61.4%) as fair. Comparing between baseline and 21 days after audit and feedback revealed a significant improvement in perceived health status in all measured subdomains of health (P ≤ 0.001). Conclusions: Nursing audit and feedback is a feasible method of evaluating and enhancing patient outcomes. Audit and feedback should be considered by nurse managers for integration into routine clinical procedures.