Assessing the effects of feedback to increase safety in the context of complete versus partial rules

Safety-related behaviors of health care providers in a human service setting were targeted. The current research replicated and expanded the research on schedules of providing feedback in organizational settings. More specifically, an assessment of the differential effects of high versus low frequency of feedback to promote and maintain desired behavior change in the presence of a complete or partial rule was conducted. An alternating treatments design for high versus low frequency feedback imbedded within an ABC counterbalanced design was used. Employees at a post-acute brain injury rehabilitation facility were assigned to two groups according to shift. High and low frequency feedback was introduced on a semi-random schedule. Complete and partial rules were introduced using the counterbalanced design. The study demonstrated that high frequency feedback, and providing a partial rule followed by a complete rule may be the most effective in increasing the average percent safe for the targeted behavior.