Long-run impacts of performance feedback: evidence of organizational learning and forgetting
研究韩国抗生素管理政策中绩效反馈对低绩效医疗机构的长期影响，发现负面反馈能减少抗生素处方，效果持续六年但最终消退，提示需定期强化。
This study examines whether performance feedback produces lasting behavioral change in healthcare organizations. Although prior research demonstrates significant short-term effects, durability remains unknown. We analyze South Korea’s antibiotic stewardship policy, which provided annual performance grades to providers based on prescription rates. Exploiting a natural experiment created by threshold-based grade assignments, we use regression discontinuity to track low-performing providers’ responses over ten years. Negative feedback significantly reduced antibiotic prescriptions, with effects persisting six years before dissipating. We hypothesized market competition would accelerate this decay, as competitive pressures might push providers to prioritize short-term patient satisfaction over public health goals. However, competitive intensity does not moderate feedback responses. These findings reveal that while performance feedback drives behavioral change that persists for several years, organizational forgetting eventually erodes effects, suggesting periodic reinforcement may be necessary for sustained impact.