Continuous quality improvement project to reduce the downtime of medical linear accelerators: A case study at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital.

Objective: To analyse and continually improve existing issues in the quality improvement process of medical linear accelerators (LINACs) and enhance the quality control management of LINACs. Methods: Data were collected from eight LINACs (sourced from three manufacturers) at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital using Excel diaries between January 2019 and December 2020. The data description and analysis were performed using the analytic hierarchy process, SPSSAU and Excel software, and mean-time-to-repair (MTTR)/mean-time-between-failure (MTBF) metrics. Continuous quality improvement was executed using the quality control circle (QCC) quality management method. Results: After quality improvement, the risk frequency of 'LINAC down' events decreased by 43.63% and downtime was reduced by 40.45%. The weight of downtime risk improved by 73.69%. The MTTR recovery value increased by 31.90%, and MTBF reliability increased by 2.97 h. The simulation results demonstrated that the proposed quality improvement measures could effectively decrease the frequency and duration of downtimes, consequently extending the normal operational time of LINACs. Conclusion: Transitioning from instant repair to preventative maintenance can enhance the operational efficiency of equipment and yield economic benefits for hospitals. The QCC method and the event risk evaluation model are effective in reducing the downtime of LINACs and improving their quality control management.

Quality Control Circle Practices to Improve Mask-Wearing Compliance by Patients Diagnosed with Tuberculosis During External Examinations.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of quality control circle (QCC) activities on increasing the mask-wearing compliance of hospitalized patients diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) during external examinations. Methods: To assess the mask-wearing compliance of patients diagnosed with TB admitted to a ward in our hospital in 2019, who visited other departments, we conducted activities in accordance with the ten steps of the QCC. We outlined the causes of non-compliance and developed and implemented improvement plans. We compared the results obtained before and after the implementation of the QCC to assess the enhancement in patient compliance concerning wearing masks during external examinations, particularly among individuals diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. Results: The compliance rate for mask-wearing during external examinations rose from an initial 32.61% (45/138) prior to the intervention to 83.71% (149/178) following the intervention. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ2 = 85.635, P < 0.001). The following countermeasures and implementation measures were formulated: (1) Increasing public health education and awareness; (2) Strengthening the training of nursing staff to enhance their knowledge; (3) Providing free surgical masks; (4) Establishing an effective monitoring system with the department of auxiliary examinations. Conclusion: QCC interventions were significantly effective in enhancing adherence to mask-wearing protocols during external examinations of hospitalized patients with tuberculosis. Such improvements contribute substantially to the mitigation of tuberculosis transmission within clinical and healthcare environments.

Implement quality control circle activities to improve customer satisfaction / 现代医院

Objective To study the application effect of quality control circle(QCC)in reducing the dissatisfaction rate of physical examination clients in health management center.Methods To establish QCC,selected the health check-up popula-tion in our hospital in September-2019 and March-2020,through the questionnaire investigation and analysis,compare the dis-satisfaction of the clients before and after the quality control circle.Results After carrying out QCC activities,the dissatisfaction of physical examination clients was significantly lower than that before QCC,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion The activities of QCC in the health management center can effectively improve the quality of the physical examination work and reduce the dissatisfaction of the customers in the physical examination.It is of great significance to the health management.

A quality control circle process to improve enteral nutrition feeding support in discharged patients with colorectal cancer.

Correct usage and maintenance of the enteral nutrition feeding pump system is always a challenge in nutrition support for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). However, there are few studies on the sustained accuracy improvement of the enteral nutrition feeding system in discharged CRC patients. Here, we established a seven-month quality control circle (QCC) activity with the theme of improving the performance of home enteral feeding pumps (EFP) and examined the effect of QCC activity on the nutritional state and quality of life in discharged CRC patients. We enrolled 100 discharged CRC patients treated with home enteral nutrition from Zhejiang Cancer Hospital between March 2020 and December 2021. The patients were randomly split into two research groups: one participated in the QCC activity (n = 50) and the other did not (n = 50). QCC analysis indicated that the top 3 causes of EFP inaccurate usage are the simple and boring contents of training, various types of pumps, no examination rules, and lack of management. Furthermore, both intra- and inter-group comparisons showed that QCC significantly improved the patients' pass rate of nutrition pump operation from 52 to 70% after 1-month of activity, which gradually improved and got the highest (90%) after 3 months (p < 0.05). Interestingly, the established QCC activity significantly increased the patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) and Barthel index (BI) scores, body fat mass (BFM) and superior longitudinal muscle (SLM) by intra- and inter-group comparisons. In this study, we clarified the main causes of inaccurate EFP usage and established a QCC process to improve the pass rate of EFP usage. It finally leads to the improvement of nutritional state and quality of life in CRC patients.

Impact of Quality Control Circle on Patient Outcomes after Hepatocellular Carcinoma Intervention: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common clinical malignant tumors, and patients undergoing interventional treatment often experience emotional and physical distress in the postoperative period. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of quality control circle (QCC) intervention on patient wareness of health education and postoperative complications following hepato-cellular carcinoma (HCC) intervention. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted to identify relevant controlled trials on the impact of QCC on patients' knowledge of health education and complications after HCC intervention. The search was conducted using various online databases from the earliest available date to July 2022. Following inclusion and exclusion criteria, data were analyzed using RevMan 5.3 software, and the heterogeneity of the studies was explored. RESULTS: A total of 120 articles were retrieved, and 11 controlled trials were included according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Meta-analysis showed that QCC reduced postinterventional fever (OR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.26, 0.65, P = 0.0002), nausea and vomiting (OR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.58, P < 0.0001), abdominal pain (OR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.20, 0.56, P < 0.0001), loss of appetite (OR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.68, P = 0.001), improved patient knowledge of health education (OR: 4.84, 95% CI: 3.03, 7.74, P < 0.0001), and increased patient satisfaction with nursing care (OR: 6.63, 95% CI: 4.21, 10.45, P < 0.00001). All differences were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: QCC after HCC intervention can reduce postoperative fever, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite. It also improves patient knowledge of health education and satisfaction with care.

Sustained Improvement of Appropriateness in Surgical Antimicrobial Prophylaxis with the Application of Quality Control Circle.

Purpose: Quality control circle (QCC) has acquired success in many fields in healthcare industry as a process management tool, whereas its efficacy in surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) remains unknown. This study aimed to implement QCC interventions to improve the appropriateness of SAP. Methods: A QCC activity team was established to grasp the current situation of SAP in clean surgery procedure, set target, formulate corresponding countermeasures and implement and review them in stages. The plan-do-check-act (PDCA) method was cyclically applied. Results: The appropriateness of antibiotic prophylaxis before (January to December 2020) and after (January to December 2021) the implementation of QCC activities were evaluated based on relevant international and Chinese SAP guidelines. The overall SAP appropriateness was significantly improved from 68.72% before QCC to 93.7% post QCC implementation (P<0.01). A significant improvement (P<0.05) was also determined for each category: selection (from 78.82% to 96.06%), duration (from 90.15% to 96.46%), indication (from 94.09% to 97.64%), timing of first dose (from 96.55% to 99.21%), antimicrobial usage (from 96.8% to 99.41%), re-dosing of antimicrobial (from 96.55% to 99.21%). Conclusion: Implementation of a QCC program can optimize the use of antibiotics and improve the appropriateness of SAP and is of practical importance to their standardization.

Application of quality control circle in occupational disease diagnosis and coding quality management improvement / 现代医院

Objective To explore the application effect of quality control circle in the quality management improvement of the occupational disease diagnostic and code.Methods To established across departmental team of medical record QCC,we Select 132 cases of the occupational disease departmentin specialized Hospital from May 1,2022 to June31,2022,Analyze the reasons of inaccurate that main diagnosisselection and code mapping.After formulating a series of improvement measures,we Se-lect 71 cases of occupational disease department from November 1,2022 to December 31,2022.To compared effect that before and after the implementation of QCC.Results After6 months of improvement,The utilization rate of main diagnosis mapping Z-code was decreased from 36.3%to 12.7%,goal achievement rate of 106.3%,improvement rate of 65.0%.Enrollment rate of major diagnostic was increased from 53.0%to 86.3%,goal achievement rate of 116.4%,Improvement rate of 62.8%.Conclu-sion We have changed the quality control management mode of diagnosis and coding by the QCC,implement targeted feedback,supervision,and training,establish a reward and punishment mechanism that matches indicators to improved accuracy of enroll-ment.Upgrading the quality management level of medical records and medical safety at the same time.Should continue to pro-mote theimplementation.

Practice and effect of construction of rational drug use mode of PIVAS by the activities of quality control circle / 药学实践与服务

Objective To establish a rational drug use model of PIVAS and promote the rational drug use in clinical practices by enhancing the quality of prescription review by pharmacists. Methods The PIVAS physician orders received from 2014 to 2021 were extracted through the hospital information management (HIS) system. The types of irrational physician orders were statistically analyzed, the improvements were made by the method of quality control circle (QCC). Results The model of PIVAS rational drug use formed a standardized process. The proficiency of physician order review was improved. From 2014 to 2021, the number and proportion of unreasonable physician orders in PIVAS decreased year by year. Every type of unreasonable physician orders was improved year by year. Conclusion The professional and technical levels of pharmacist for physician order review at our hospital were improved by the model of PIVAS rational drug use. The quality of pharmaceutical service was significantly improved which ensured the safety of patients' medication.

Effect of quality control circle on nursing in orthopaedic trauma surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the application effect of Quality Management Circle (QCC) in nursing of orthopaedic trauma surgery. METHODS: The clinical data of 134 cases undergoing orthopaedic trauma surgery were assigned into 2 groups according to different nursing methods. Thereinto, 67 cases with traditional nursing were considered as the control group (CG), and the left with traditional nursing and QCC activities were assigned as the study group (SG). The pain (VAS) score and psychological fluctuation index were observed and compared at various time points after operation. The recorded indexes included anxiety (SAS) and depression (SDS) scores before and after intervention, limb joint activity, health knowledge awareness rate, satisfaction rate, quantitative score of quality of life and nosocomial infection rate. RESULTS: After intervention, the VAS scores in the SG were lower than those in the CG 2 weeks after intervention (all P<0.05). The quantitative scores of SDS and SAS in the SG after intervention were lower than those in the CG (all P<0.05). After that, the range of motion of lower limb joints in the SG was higher than that in the CG (all P<0.05). The awareness rate of health knowledge in the SG was higher than that in the CG (all P<0.05). The satisfaction rate of the SG was higher than that of the CG (P<0.05). The score level of each index of quality of life in the SG was higher than that in the CG (all P<0.05). There was no marked difference in nosocomial infection rate (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The application of QCC on patients undergoing orthopaedic trauma surgery can not only reduce patients' pain, negative emotions, but also improve limb joint activity, health knowledge awareness rate, satisfaction rate and quality of life.

Pharmacist-led quality control circle in sustained reduction of carbapenem-resistance at a Chinese tertiary teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND: The spread of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria poses a substantial threat to morbidity and mortality worldwide, which is mainly attributed to the overuse of carbapenem. This study aimed to evaluate the use of a quality control circle (QCC) in controlling the overuse of carbapenems and improving the state of carbapenem resistance at a Chinese tertiary teaching hospital. METHODS: A pharmacist-led multidisciplinary QCC project was carried out and the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) method was applied for 12 months. The data on carbapenem consumption, bacterial identification, and antibacterial susceptibility testing were collected to evaluate the effect of this project. RESULTS: The antibiotics use density (AUD) of carbapenems exhibited a decreasing trend over time (P<0.001), and the AUD of meropenem, imipenem, and biapenem decreased by 30.20%, 42.45%, and 78.05% after the intervention, respectively. The total AUD of carbapenems decreased from 7.37 to 3.96, which included the decrease in the irrational use of carbapenems by 1.61, accounting for 47.21% of the total. Moreover, the positive correlations were discovered between the resistance rate of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumonia (CRKP)/Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) and the AUD of carbapenems (P<0.05). The resistance rate of CRKP and CRAB decreased from 51.93% and 89.21% to 32.94% and 60.66%, respectively, following QCC project implementation. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to highlight the success of a multifaceted intervention QCC project and PDCA method, which led to a significant reduction in the AUD and resistance rate of carbapenems. QCC is a feasible and effective management tool for improving the quality of carbapenem use in medical institutions.

Application of Quality Control Circle Activity in Improving Effectiveness of Drug Intervention in Lung Cancer Patients with Moderate to Severe Pain.

OBJECTIVE: Lung cancer has the highest incidence and mortality of all malignant tumors in China. Cancer pain dramatically affects patients' comfort level, causing insomnia, anorexia, anxiety, fear, depression, and a decline in the quality of life (QOL). The literature suggests a shortage of adequate cancer pain management for 59.1% of patients in China. The quality control circle (QCC) activity reflects the people-oriented core idea of management. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of QCC in enhancing the effectiveness of drug interventions in lung cancer patients with moderate to severe pain. METHODS: From January 2019 to July 2019, lung cancer patients with moderate to severe pain were treated with drugs. The total number of drug interventions was 3072. A QCC activity was performed following the ten steps of the plan-docheck- act (PDCA) model. The reasons for the poor effectiveness of drug intervention in lung cancer patients with moderate to severe pain were analyzed. Countermeasures were designed to improve the effectiveness of drug intervention, including setting up a pain college, writing a medication education manual, and formulating operational rules for the administration of narcotic drugs. The effectiveness of drug intervention in lung cancer patients with moderate to severe pain and activity ability scores of QCC members were analyzed statistically before and after QCC activity. The effectiveness of drug intervention was investigated and compared before and after establishing the QCC. RESULTS: After establishing the PDCA model, the effectiveness of drug intervention for moderate to severe pain in lung cancer patients increased from 56.28% to 85.29%. Members had significant improvement in problem-solving ability, responsibility, communication, coordination, self-confidence, team cohesion, enthusiasm, QCC skills, and harmony. CONCLUSION: QCC activity can significantly improve the efficiency of drug intervention in lung cancer patients with moderate to severe pain and their quality of life.

The Association between the Participation of Quality Control Circle and Patient Safety Culture.

Promoting patient safety culture (PSC) is a critical issue for healthcare providers. Quality control circles program (QCCP) can be used as an effective tool to foster long-lasting improvements on the quality of medical institution. The effect of QCCP on PSC is still unknown. This was a retrospective study conducted with matching data. A safety attitudes questionnaire (SAQ) was used for the evaluation of PSC. The association between all scores of six subscales of SAQ and the participation QCCP were analyzed with both the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. A total of 2718 valid questionnaires were collected. Most participants of QCCP were females (78.9%), nurses (52.6%), non-supervisors (92.2%), aged <40 years old (64.8%), degree of specialist or university graduates (78%), and with work experience of <10 years (61.6%). Of all participants, the highest scores were in the dimension of safety climate (74.11 ± 17.91) and the lowest scores in the dimension of working conditions (68.90 ± 18.84). The participation of QCCP was associated with higher scores in four dimensions, namely: teamwork climate (p = 0.006), safety climate (p = 0.037), perception of management (p = 0.009), and working conditions (p = 0.015). The participation or not of QCCP had similar results in the dimension of job satisfaction and stress recognition. QCCP was associated with SAQ in subjects with the following characteristics: female, nurse, non-supervisor, aged >50 years old, higher education degrees and with longer working experiences in the hospital. In this first study on the association between each dimension of SAQ and the implementation of QCCP, we found that QCCP interventions were associated with better PSC. QCCP had no benefits in the dimensions of job satisfaction and stress recognition.

Establishment of a quality control circle to reduce biofilm formation in flexible endoscopes by improvement of qualified cleaning rate.

OBJECTIVE: In recent years, the Emergency Care Research Institute has advised that endoscope cleaning is of considerable importance. In the present study, a quality control circle (QCC) was used to reduce the formation of biofilms in flexible endoscopes within one hospital in Guangdong Province, China. METHODS: During reprocessing of 235 flexible endoscopes in the urology surgical suite, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) detection was used to monitor the efficacy of biofilm removal. The internal and external parts of flexible endoscopes were used as sampling sites by means of the flushing and smudge methods, respectively. When the two results reached the standard of less than 500 relative light units/piece at the same time, endoscopic biofilm clearance was considered to be qualified. A QCC was established to implement a 10-step plan-do-check-act model. RESULTS: The baseline qualified rate (i.e., ATP monitoring pass rate) during reprocessing of 235 flexible endoscopes was 50%. During the study, the qualified rate increased to 85.29% after establishment of the QCC. During reprocessing of 150 flexible endoscopes in the following 6 months, the qualified rate remained at 90%. CONCLUSION: Establishment of the QCC improved the removal of biofilm from flexible endoscopes in the urology surgical suite.

Implementation and Promotion of Quality Control Circle: A Starter for Quality Improvement in Chinese Hospitals.

PURPOSE: To analyse the quality control circle (QCC) implementation status, tool modification and promotion in hospitals in mainland China. METHODS: Data were collected from the 2013-2018 National Quality Control Circle Competition of Chinese Hospitals. A total of 1913 participating QCCs implemented by 34,023 hospital staff from 915 hospitals across 31 provinces and municipalities were included in this study to analyse the characteristics of QCC implementation status in mainland China, using descriptive analyses. RESULTS: The majority of participating QCCs came from central and eastern hospitals. Most of the QCCs were carried out in tertiary hospitals and focused on themes of safety and patient care. The QCC has been modified in terms of its classification, implementation process, participation mechanism, and ways of dissemination. A series of promotion strategies have been made to promote the implementation of QCCs nationwide, including establishing a professional promotion organization, developing standardized training programmes, and organizing QCC academic events. CONCLUSION: After years of promotion, QCCs are widely used in hospitals and have been modified to fit the practice of healthcare institutions. The QCC promotion strategies in China can offer valuable insights for other countries that are also making efforts to continuously improve care quality in healthcare institutions.

Impact of a quality control circle on the incidence of catheter-associated urinary tract infection: An interrupted time series analysis.

BACKGROUND: To report a quality control circle (QCC) activity on the theme of reducing the incidence of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), and used an interrupted time series analysis to evaluate the impact of the QCC. METHODS: In a general tertiary hospital in Shenzhen, China, we carried out a QCC activity with the theme of reducing CAUTI from April 2017 to December 2017. Before the QCC, we carried out the routine measures; during the QCC, we implemented usual measures and the countermeasures of QCC, and after the QCC, we performed the routine measures and adhered to the core measures of QCC. The interrupted time series analysis method was used to analyze the changes in the CAUTI incidence during the 3 stages. RESULTS: Before, during, and after the QCC activities, the catheter use ratios and mean indwelling time both had a downward trend; meanwhile, the compliance rate of CAUTI prevention measures showed an upward trend. After the interventions, the CAUTI incidence decreased by 1.317‰ immediately, then gradually decreased by 0.510‰ per month. After the completion of QCC, the CAUTI incidence increased by 0.266‰ immediately and increased by 0.070‰ over time, but the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The CAUTI incidence is reduced through QCC, providing a useful reference for the prevention of CAUTI and the development of medical quality improvement activities.

Application of quality control circle in the treatment of moderate cancer pain in inpatients.

CONTEXT: Pain is one of the most common and intolerable symptoms in cancer patients. But cancer pain control is still negative in China. OBJECTIVES: This paper explores the application of quality control circle in the treatment of cancer pain in inpatients to improve the quality of life of patients with cancer pain. METHOD: Established a quality control circle group to analyze the current status of cancer pain control in inpatients with moderate cancer pain, set goals, formulate corresponding countermeasures and implement and review them in stages. The plan-do-check-act method was cyclically applied. The Brief Pain Inventory was used to evaluate the cancer pain status of patients with cancer pain hospitalized before (January to April 2016) and after (September to December 2016) the implementation of quality control circle activities. RESULTS: The pain control effect of the observation group was significantly better than that of the control group. The mean (standard deviation) of pain severity and pain interference in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (6.21 [2.86] vs 4.31 [2.25], 10.54 [4.10] vs 7.25 [3.77]). There was significant difference after the implementation of quality control circle (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Quality control circle activities are used to manage patients with cancer pain, to improve the situation of pain control and to improve the quality of life of patients. This management tool and method is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

Quality control circle: a tool for enhancing perceptions of patient safety culture among hospital staff in Chinese hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether quality control circle (QCC) is associated with hospital staff's perceptions of patient safety culture (PSC). DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey in 12 public hospitals from October to December 2018 and a longitudinal survey in one public hospital from November 2017 to November 2018. SETTING: In 12 public hospitals from six provinces located in eastern, central and western of China, and one public hospital in eastern China. PARTICIPANTS: In total, 811 and 102 hospital staff participated in the cross-sectional survey and the longitudinal survey, respectively. These participants included doctors, nurses, medical technicians and administrative staff. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hospital staff's perceptions of PSC were measured by the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) questionnaire. The association between QCC implementation and PSC was identified by univariate analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that the staff from hospitals that had implemented QCC received significantly higher HSOPSC scores than those from hospitals where QCC had not been implemented (3.73 ± 0.61 vs. 3.57 ± 0.41, P < 0.05). The QCC implementation was a significant predictor in the established multiple linear regression model. One year after QCC implementation, the hospital involved in the longitudinal survey scored higher in HSOPSC than before (3.75 ± 0.42 vs. 3.60 ± 0.36, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: QCC implementation was positively associated with PSC and the former could promote the establishment of the latter. It is suggested that QCC can play an active role in enhancing PSC so as to further improve patient safety management.

Discussion on Using Quality Control Circle to Improve the Qualified Rate of Anesthesia Prescription in Our Hospital / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To explore the application effect of quality control circle management in improving the qualified rate of anesthetic drugs prescription in hospital. METHODS: The quality control circle was established to explore the causes of the unqualified anesthetic drugs prescription in our hospital by using the 80/20 rule and fish-bone diagram. The measures to improve the prescription pass rate were determined, and the changes of the prescription pass rate before and after QCC management were compared through the implementation and review of the measures. RESULTS: Using the management of quality control circle, the prescription quality of inpatient anesthetic drugs was significantly improved in our hospital in 2018 and the qualified rate increased from 70.07% in 2017 to 2018 97.78% above target value of 6.69%. After continuous quality control circle management, the qualified rate of prescription increased to 99.33% in the first three quarters of 2019. CONCLUSION: The development of QCC can effectively improve the qualified rate of anesthetic drugs prescription in hospital, not only standardizing the use of anesthetic drugs, promoting drug safety of patients, but also improving the comprehensive quality of pharmacists and the quality of hospital pharmaceutical care.