RESUMO
Preterm birth is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in neonates. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) can reduce clinically avoidable adverse events (neonatal death or severe morbidity) by changing and improving clinical practice to improve patient outcomes. Researches show that CQI can prevent severe morbidity, including bronchopulmonary dysplasia, sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, severe neurologic injury, retinopathy of prematurity, etc., in preterm infants. CQI reduces disease-related mortality and morbidity and eases the burden on society and family. As an effective method for further improving preterm infants' care quality in the neonatal intensive unit (NICU), the CQI has been widely adopted in developed countries and achieved significant results. The number of preterm infants in NICU is currently extensive in China, with an increased survival rate. However, severe morbidity is significantly higher than that in developed countries. There is an urgent need to establish an appropriate continuous quality improvement system in China regarding the critical issues to improve the outcomes of preterm infants in the NICU. We review the origin and history of CQI, its methodology and effects when applied to NICUs in developed countries, and its status, challenges, and prospects in Chinese NICUs.