Impact of PDCA Cycle Combined with Instrument Mapping on Sterilization and Supply of Surgical Instruments

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Objective: To explore the effect of applying the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle combined with instrument mapping to manage surgical instruments in a hospital sterilization supply center. Methods: A total of 600 surgical instruments in a hospital’s surgical instrument sterilization and supply management center were sampled and grouped based on the introduction of the PDCA cycle combined with instrument mapping. The control group included 300 surgical instruments subject to routine sterilization management from November 2023 to January 2024. The observation group included 300 surgical instruments managed with the PDCA cycle combined with instrument mapping from February 2024 to April 2024. The quality of surgical instrument management, incidence of adverse events, and other indicators were compared between the two groups. Results: The observation group demonstrated significantly higher scores in management quality indices compared to the control group, with scores for disassembly and assembly (93.28 ± 1.57 vs. 87.41 ± 1.48), cleaning (95.04 ± 2.08 vs. 90.23 ± 2.12), disinfection and sterilization (95.33 ± 1.27 vs. 91.95 ± 1.39), waste disposal (93.26 ± 1.24 vs. 89.65 ± 1.18), packaging and traceability (94.35 ± 1.74 vs. 92.23 ± 1.65), and issuance and recycling (95.79 ± 1.72 vs. 90.22 ± 1.81) (all P < 0.05). The observation group reported two adverse events (one incomplete instrument specification and one case of instrument package overweight) with an incidence rate of 0.67%. Conversely, the control group reported six adverse events (including shortages, incomplete specifications, unqualified sterilization, defective instruments, untimely or incorrect delivery, and overweight instrument packages) with an incidence rate of 3%, demonstrating statistically significant differences between groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Applying the PDCA cycle combined with instrument mapping for surgical instrument management in hospital sterilization supply centers significantly improves management quality and reduces adverse events. Its application is recommended for wider adoption in hospital sterilization supply centers.