Role of quality control circle in sustained improvement of hand hygiene compliance: an observational study in a stomatology hospital in Shandong, China

Application of quality control circle in the management of early ambulation after cesarean section: An observational study

BACKGROUND

The quality control circle (QCC) model has achieved good results in clinical applications in many hospitals in China and has gained popularity. This study aims to explore the application of QCC activities on early ambulation after cesarean section.

METHODS

A QCC management group was established following standardized methods and techniques. The theme of the group was identified as "to enhance the implementation rate of the patient early ambulation after the cesarean section" through a matrix graph. The early ambulation rates after surgery of patients who received cesarean section were compared before and after QCC managements.

RESULTS

Our data suggested that the early ambulation rates after cesarean section increased from 37.5% to 81.25% after applying QCC management. The biggest factor influencing the ambulation activities 24 ± 4 hours after the surgery was patients and family members do not cooperate. In addition, outstanding improvements in terms of nurses' sense of responsibility and self-confidence, communication and teamwork capacity in the problem-solving process were observed after the establishment of QCC.

CONCLUSION

The application of QCC management had not only increase the early ambulation rates after cesarean section but also improved the quality of nursery care in general.

Bacterial Colonization on Healthcare Workers' Mobile Phones and Hands in Municipal Hospitals of Chongqing, China: Cross-contamination and Associated Factors

BACKGROUND

Mobile phones are widely used in clinical settings and could be colonized by potential pathogenic bacteria which may lead to hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) transmission. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of bacterial contamination of healthcare workers' (HCWs) mobile phones, identify bacterial isolates, and assess the factors associated with mobile phone contamination.

METHODS

Self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the information on the demographic characteristics and the use of mobile phones. A total of 111 HCWs' hands and their mobile phones were swabbed, then bacterial culture, isolation, and identification were performed. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression were applied to identify factors associated with mobile phone bacterial contamination.

RESULTS

Totally 106 (95.5%) of the 111 mobile phones investigated were contaminated with bacteria. Staphylococcus epidermidis (13/111), Acinetobacter baumannii (4/111) and Staphylococcus aureus (3/111) were the predominant bacterial isolates from HCWs' mobile phones. Univariate analyses showed that age, gender, profession and the frequency of mobile phone utilization were significantly associated with the number of bacterial colonization. Frequency of phone utilization (OR 8.366; 95% CI 1.496-46.797) was found to be the most significant factors associated with the qualified rate of mobile phones bacterial load. In addition, phone cover using was associated with the increased risk of mobile phone bacterial contamination.

CONCLUSION

There was cross-contamination between hands and phones. It is necessary to develop guidelines for mobile phone cleaning. Special attention needs to be paid to the disinfection of mobile phone covers to reduce contamination and transmission of pathogens.

Level of Hand Hygiene Compliance and Its Associated Factors Among Health Care Workers at Eka Kotebe General Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Poor hand hygiene is an important source of infection, but maintaining hand hygiene is the most important measure to prevent infections. Hand hygiene compliance and its associated factors are not well recognized in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was intended to determine hand hygiene compliance and its associated factors among health care workers in Eka Kotebe General Hospital.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among health care workers at Eka Kotebe General Hospital. A self-administered questionnaire supplemented by a World Health Organization Hand Hygiene Technical Reference Manual was used to collect data. Data was entered using Epi Info 7.2.0.1 and exported to SPSS 23 for analysis. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistical significance was determined using a P-value of ⩽.05 with a 95% confidence interval.

RESULTS

Hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers was 22.2%. Hand hygiene training (AOR = 2.9, 95% CI: 1.13-7.52), presence of hand hygiene indication poster (AOR = 3.38, 95% CI: 1.18-9.66), hand hygiene promotion by IPC team (AOR = 4.2, 95% CI: 2.53-8.58)), working experience ⩾5 years of a health care providers (AOR = 3.96, 95% CI: 1.12-13.9), being midwife (AOR = 17.1, 95% CI: 2.8-10), being nurse (AOR = 5.3, 95% CI: 2.09-7.8) by profession, and presence of water (AOR = 2.50, 95% CI: 2.20-11.78) were significantly associated factors to hand hygiene compliance.

CONCLUSION

The level of hand hygiene compliance among health care providers was found to be low. Training about hand hygiene, the presence of hand hygiene indication posters, hand hygiene promotion by the IPC team, working experience of health care providers, being a nurse and midwife, and the presence of water were independent predictors of hand hygiene compliance. Health care workers need to be given training on hand hygiene as well as hand hygiene facilities shall be installed and supplied by the hospital in a sustained manner.

Improvement of Hand Hygiene Compliance Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act Method: Quality Improvement Project From a Tertiary Care Institute in Bihar, India

Background

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are the most severe complications of intensive care stay, especially in pediatric patients. Proper hand hygiene (HH) is the cheapest, simplest, but often neglected method to prevent HAIs. The World Health Organization (WHO) has formulated and promoted a standardized recommendation for HH. Both the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend the use of soap and water for handwashing whenever there is visible dirt on the hands. In all other situations, an alcohol-based hand rub is an effective alternative. The quality improvement (QI) methodology has been widely followed in many countries to improve basic and advanced healthcare systems. The QI strategy follows the plan-do-study-act (PDSA) method.

Methodology

This quasi-experimental (pre- and post-intervention), prospective, QI study was conducted at the neonatal intensive care unit and pediatric intensive care unit of the pediatrics department in a tertiary care hospital in Bihar, India. A QI team was formed. The study was divided into four phases. WHO charts for assessing HH compliance were used for observation and data collection. The EQUATOR Checklist (Squire Checklist) was used to accurately report the QI work. Epi Info™ (version 7.2.5) was used for statistical analysis. The chi-square test was used to measure the statistical difference between pre- and post-intervention HH compliance (proportions).

Results

In the pre-intervention phase, a total of 106 HH opportunities were observed. The HH compliance at this stage was 40.6%. The QI team conducted several meetings, and a root cause analysis was performed with the help of the Fishbone diagram. It was decided to target three probable causes, namely, (a) less awareness, (b) inconvenient locations of hand rub dispensers, and (c) forgetfulness. The QI team decided to run three PDSA cycles. In the last phase, 212 HH opportunities were observed with a compliance percentage of 69.8%. There was a significant improvement when data of pre- and post-intervention HH compliance were compared in all categories of healthcare workers (HCWs), except doctors, where the improvement was not statistically significant. When the cumulative data of all subtypes of HCWs were analyzed, there was a significant improvement (p < 0.0001). Run charts and box plots were used for the easy depiction of the results.

Conclusions

Adopting proper HH methods remains the most effective way of preventing nosocomial infections, especially in intensive care units. We used the WHO model of HH in our study. The pre-intervention HH compliance was 40.6%. QI methodology using root cause analysis and implementation of three PDSA cycles were used to increase the HH compliance percentage. Post-intervention HH compliance increased to 69.8% and the effect was sustained. The study highlights the usefulness of the QI methodology in bringing small but important changes in clinical practice for better patient care.

Powdered Activated Charcoal Tracing in Hand Hygiene Training and Compliance Assessment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of nosocomial infections. As a result, we sought to find an effective, efficient and safe way to train healthcare workers on proper hand washing techniques. We used powdered activated carbon (PAC) as a tracer to visually display hand washing defects after the hand washing process. The real-time visual assessment of the efficacy of the hand washing technique aided in the immediate correction of errors, and this definitively improved hand hygiene techniques of the interns.

Methods

Clinical interns at the emergency department of Shengjing Hospital were included in this study and received training in relation to the six-step hand-washing technique developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The subjects’ hand-washing defects or faults were traced using PAC and corrected accordingly. Acceptance of the PAC tracing method by the interns, and its safety, were both assessed using a questionnaire survey.

Results

The results indicated that the back of the hands, fingers, and the wrists were prone to hand-washing defects. The hand-washing defects were significantly reduced after targeted corrections by the trainers. Subjects reported satisfactory acceptance toward the PAC tracing method and the method was relatively safe for subjects.

Conclusion

The PAC tracing method can visually display hand-washing defects and significantly improve the effectiveness of hand-washing training.

Meta-analysis of effects of quality control circle activities in nursing care of patients with liver cancer undergoing interventional operation

BACKGROUND

Based on the domestic and foreign research on the application of quality control circle (QCC) in interventional therapy of liver cancerapy, we conducted a meta-analysis on its effects to provide nursing workers with evidence on its applications in nursing work.

AIM

To systematically evaluate the effects of QCC in the nursing care of patients with liver cancer undergoing interventional operation by using evidence-based medicine.

METHODS

China HowNet, VIP, Wanfang, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE were searched to retrieve the relevant literature on QCC activity intervention for patients with liver cancer undergoing interventional surgery from June 2010 to June 2020. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the literature was selected, the data were extracted, and the literature quality was evaluated. Revman 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 60 articles were retrieved in this study, and eight were finally included after screening. The results of meta-analysis showed that QCC activity intervention could significantly improve patient satisfaction (odds ratio [OR] = 6.57, 95% confidence interval [CI]: (4.04-10.68, P < 0.00001) and awareness of health knowledge among patients (OR = 5.73, 95%CI: 3.74-9.83, P < 0.00001), and decrease postoperative anorexia (OR = 0.37, 95%CI: 0.21-0.68, P = 0.001), fever (OR = 0.42, 95%CI: 0.26-0.67, P = 0.0003), abdominal pain (OR = 0.36, 95%CI: 0.21-0.62, P = 0.0003), and nausea and vomiting (OR = 0.37, 95%CI: 0.221-0.61, P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

For patients with liver cancer after interventional surgery, QCC activity intervention could improve patientg satisfaction and awareness of health knowledge and reduce the surgical complications.

Constructing a new health education model for patients with chronic hepatitis B

To explore the effects of the project-achievement quality control circle in constructing a new health education model for patients with chronic hepatitis B.The quality control circle group was established and the theme of "constructing a new health education model for patients with chronic hepatitis B" was selected. The circle staff determined that this quality control circle was of project-achievement according to the quality control story judgment table, and then carry out activities in strict accordance with the 10 steps of project-achievement quality control circle, evaluate the tangible results and non-tangible results before and after the activity.After the implementation of the activity, the health education integrity of patients with chronic hepatitis B increased from 74.75 ± 11.00 to 95.00 ± 5.55 points (P < .001). The awareness of health education increased from 71.90 ± 13.48 to 95.60 ± 2.84 points (P < .001), the satisfaction rate of health education increased from 76.60 ± 8.71 points to 98.00 ± 2.03 points (P < .001), and the evaluation rate after health education increased from 10% to 100% (P < .001).The circle members have much more confidence in quality control circle activities, the use of techniques, and the knowledge related to scientific research.

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.

Effects of a Quality Improvement Program to Reduce Central Venous Catheter-Related Infections in Hemodialysis Patients

BACKGROUND

Central catheter infections are of concern in patients on hemodialysis because of the high risk of catheter-related bloodstream infections, sepsis, and death. Adequate nursing is critical for the prevention of such infections. This study aimed to use the PDCA (plan-do-check-act) method to reduce the incidence of central venous catheter infection using management in the maintenance of central venous catheter in patients on hemodialysis, compared with routine care.

METHODS

This pilot study recruited patients on hemodialysis via central venous catheterization at the Blood Purification Center of Ruijin Hospital between November 2017 and November 2018. The patients were randomized to the routine and PDCA groups. All participants received routine nursing. The PDCA group received central venous catheter management by PDCA. The incidence of central venous catheterization-related infections, nursing satisfaction, and quality of life were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

A total of 122 participants were enrolled in each group. The incidence of central catheter-related bloodstream infection, as the primary outcome, was 0.8 and 8.8 cases per 1000 catheter days in the PDCA and routine groups, respectively (P < 0.001). In addition, as the secondary outcomes, the scores of nursing satisfaction (health guidance, nursing technology, and therapeutic effects) score and quality of life (physiological, psychological, social, and environmental status) were better in the PDCA group than in the routine group (all P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

This pilot study suggests that the PDCA cycle model can effectively reduce the incidence of central venous catheter-related infections and improve satisfaction and quality of life in patients on hemodialysis.

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 Promoting the Use of Rubber Dams in the Root Canal Treatment of Primary Teeth

OBJECTIVE

Study the effect of quality control circle (QCC) in promoting the usage of rubber dams (RD) in root canal treatment of chronic pulpitis in primary teeth.

METHODS

Set up a quality control group to increase the amount of rubber dams used in the treatment of chronic pulpitis in primary teeth. Monthly monitoring results of the usage amount were counted by the outpatient computer system. Relevant data were collected through questionnaires, and causes of low utilization were analyzed, and the improvement measurements were formulated and implemented. Quality control circle activity was evaluated.

RESULTS

Through the quality control circle activity, the consumption of rubber dams in the root canal treatment of chronic pulpitis was significantly improved, children in treatment became more cooperative, and operation time of root canal treatment has also been shortened.

CONCLUSION

The quality control circle activities played a significant role in promoting the use of rubber dams in the root canal treatment of primary teeth, and it can be used as a method to promote new clinical treatment programs.

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 &lt; 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.

A multimodal intervention to improve hand hygiene compliance via social cognitive influences among kindergarten teachers in China

Children attending kindergarten are at high risk for contracting infections, for which hand hygiene (HH) has been recognized as the most cost-effective prevention measure globally. Kindergarten teachers’ HH behavior plays a vital role in encouraging favorable hygiene techniques and environment. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a multimodal intervention at changing kindergarten teachers’ HH behavior and social cognitive factors that influences HH behavior in China. The intervention named “Clean Hands, Happy Life” includes HH products with refills, reminders and cues for action, a kick-off event with awards, and training programs. We evaluated the intervention using a self-administrative questionnaire with a stratified random sample of 12 kindergartens. Two surveys was completed by 176 teachers at baseline and 185 after the 6-month intervention. Compared with the baseline scores, there was a significant improvement in the overall self-reported HH compliance of teachers (9.38 vs. 9.68 out of 10, p = 0.006), as well as teachers’ perceived disease susceptibility, disease severity and behavioral control after the intervention (p<0.05). We found that teachers’ HH compliance was likely to be higher among those who have better HH guideline awareness (β = 0.48, p<0.01) and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.26, p = 0.01), which explained 24.2% of the variance of self-reported compliance of teachers at baseline. The assessed intervention may provide Chinese kindergarten teachers with behavioral skills and cognitions that associated with the compliance of HH behavior. We thus recommend future intervention studies consider our HH behavior change techniques, address multiple social cognitive determinants of HH behavior and include the change of targeted influences in the impact evaluation.

Improvement of hand hygiene compliance in a private hospital using the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) method

Objective:

Improving the compliance to hand hygiene in healthcare providers is important to reduce healthcare-associated infections. This study aimed to compare the compliance rate before and after the improvement of compliance to hand hygiene.

Methods:

In this study 270 of the 348 medical staff working in a 61-bed private hospital was observed. The informed observation was performed by the infection control committee in the entire hospital using “Five Moments for Hand Hygiene” for a period of one year. After the first six months, an improvement study was conducted together with the hospital’s quality department using the plan-do-check-act cycle. The study was conducted in a private hospital in Istanbul/Turkey; Kadıkoy Florence Nightingale Hospital in 2014.

Results:

In the first six months of the year, 153 actions were observed at 316 proper situations. The compliance rate was 35%, 54% and 64% for the physicians, nurses and, other healthcare staff, respectively. The overall compliance rate was 48%. One hundred eighty-three actions were observed for 306 situations after the improvement and education studies. The compliance rate was 29%, 72% and 86%. The overall mean compliance rate was 60%.

Conclusion:

The promotion of hand hygiene requires the cooperation of the hospital administrators, infection control committee, and quality departments for better hand hygiene practices among the healthcare providers.

Implementation of a national quality improvement program to enhance hand hygiene in nursing homes in Taiwan

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

This study investigated the cause of hand hygiene deficit, and further implemented a quality improvement program using WHO's hand-hygiene strategy to enhance the compliance of hand hygiene in the nursing home in Taiwan.

METHODS

This prospective study was conducted in eleven nursing homes in Taiwan from January 2015 to December 2016. After intervention, we monitor the compliance, and accuracy of hand hygiene. In addition, we also calculated the number of episodes of infection per 1000 resident-days in each nursing home in the intervention period (July-December 2015) and post-intervention period (January-October 2016).

RESULTS

Overall, the consumption of alcohol-based handrubs increased from 10.1 ml per resident-day in intervention period to 12.2 ml per resident-day in post intervention period. The compliance of hand hygiene increased from 74% in intervention period to 79% in post-intervention period and the rate of correct hand hygiene increased from 81% in intervention period to 87% in post-intervention period. Most importantly, the infection density decreased from 2.39 per 1000 resident-day in intervention period to 1.89 per 1000 resident-day.

CONCLUSIONS

A national quality-improvement program using WHO's hand-hygiene strategy to enhance hand hygiene and reduce healthcare associated infection is effective in nursing homes in Taiwan.

Sustained accuracy improvement in intraocular lens power calculation with the application of quality control circle

Accurate intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation is always a challenge in ophthalmology, and unoptimized process may lead to inaccurate refractive outcomes. Quality control circle (QCC) has shown its success in many fields as a process management tool. However, its efficacy in ophthalmology remains unclear. Here we utilized the QCC method to optimize the process and evaluate its efficacy in improving the accuracy of IOL power calculation. After the QCC application, the percentage of eyes with achieved refractive outcomes within 0.5 diopter significantly increased from 63.2% to 80.8% calculated by Haigis formula and 59.2% to 75.8% by SRK/T formula in patients with normal axial length (AL) (22 mm ≤ AL < 26 mm). Although there were no statistically significant differences in patients with long AL by the two formulas (p = 0.886 and 0.726), we achieved an accuracy of 75% with the application of the PhacoOptics software, which was significantly higher than that using the other two formulas (p < 0.001). Our findings indicated that QCC optimized and standardized the process of IOL power calculation, thus improved the accuracy of IOL power calculation in patients who underwent cataract surgery.

Implementation of WHO multimodal strategy for improvement of hand hygiene: a quasi-experimental study in a Traditional Chinese Medicine hospital in Xi'an, China

Background

Hand hygiene (HH) is an essential component for preventing and controlling of healthcare-associated infection (HAI), whereas compliance with HH among health care workers (HCWs) is frequently poor. This study aimed to assess compliance and correctness with HH before and after the implementation of a multimodal HH improvement strategy launched by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Methods

A quasi-experimental study design including questionnaire survey generalizing possible factors affecting HH behaviors of HCWs and direct observation method was used to evaluate the effectiveness of WHO multimodal HH strategy in a hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Multimodal HH improvement strategy was drawn up according to the results of questionnaire survey. Compliance and correctness with HH among HCWs were compared before and after intervention. Also HH practices for different indications based on WHO “My Five Moments for Hand Hygiene” were recorded.

Results

In total, 553 HCWs participated in the questionnaire survey and multimodal HH improvement strategy was developed based on individual, environment and management levels. A total of 5044 observations in 23 wards were recorded in this investigation. The rate of compliance and correctness with HH improved from 66.27% and 47.75% at baseline to 80.53% and 88.35% after intervention. Doctors seemed to have better compliance with HH after intervention (84.04%) than nurses and other HCWs (81.07% and 69.42%, respectively). When stratified by indication, compliance with HH improved for all indications after intervention (P < 0.05) except for “after body fluid exposure risk” and “after touching patient surroundings”.

Conclusion

Implementing the WHO multimodal HH strategy can significantly improve HH compliance and correctness among HCWs.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13756-017-0254-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A quality control circle process to improve implementation effect of prevention measures for high-risk patients

The aim of the study was to analyse the influence of prevention measures on pressure injuries for high-risk patients and to establish the most appropriate methods of implementation. Nurses assessed patients using a checklist and factors influencing the prevention of a pressure injury determined by brain storming. A specific series of measures was drawn up and an estimate of risk of pressure injury determined using the Braden Scale, analysis of nursing documents, implementation of prevention measures for pressure sores and awareness of the system both before and after carrying out a quality control circle (QCC) process. The overall scores of implementation of prevention measures ranged from 74.86 ± 14.24 to 87.06 ± 17.04, a result that was statistically significant (P < 0.0025). The Braden Scale scores ranged from 8.53 ± 3.21 to 13.48 ± 3.57. The nursing document scores ranged from 7.67 ± 3.98 to 10.12 ± 1.63; prevention measure scores ranged from 11.48 ± 4.18 to 13.96 ± 3.92. Differences in all of the above results are statistically significant (P < 0.05). Implementation of a QCC can standardise and improve the prevention measures for patients who are vulnerable to pressure sores and is of practical importance to their prevention and control.