Objective To explore the effect of quality control circle activities on improving the correct rate of nursing orders for critically ill patients. Methods A total of 21 senior responsible nurses in ICU, Cardiology Department (CCU) , Cerebrovascular Disease Specialty and Respiratory Department of the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University were selected as the research objects. Meanwhile, 434 critically ill patients admitted in the above four departments in April 2018 were selected as the pre-activity group of quality control circle. The 419 critically ill patients admitted in October 2018 were compared and analyzed in the post-qcc group. The correct rate of nursing orders of critically ill patients, the qualified rate of basic nursing, posture nursing, the incidence of pressure sores, falls or falling out of bed, and incontinence related dermatitis, the mastery rate of senior responsible nurses on assessment knowledge and the time required for the first nursing order to be issued, the mastery rate of disease condition of critical patients by responsible nurses, and the comprehensive literacy scores of members of quality control circle team before and after quality control circle activities were compared. Results After QCC activities, the correct rate of nursing orders for critical patients, the qualified rate of basic nursing and postural nursing, the mastery rate of senior responsible nurses' knowledge of assessment and the mastery rate of nurses' conditions for critical patients were significantly higher than those before QCC activities, and the time needed for the first nurses' orders was less than that before QCC activities, with statistical difference (P 0.05) . After the activity, the nurses' abilities of quality control, team cohesion, sense of responsibility, coordination and communication, self-confidence and quality improvement were all improved, with statistical difference (P<0.01) . Conclusions The management based on the quality control circle can effectively improve the correct rate of nursing orders for critically ill patients, improve the nursing quality of critically ill patients, the working efficiency and overall literacy of nurses. Key words: Critical illness; Quality control circle; Nursing order; Prescribe; Nursing quality