The Application of the Plan-Do-Check-Act Management Model in Improving the Diagnostic Yield of Autoimmune Gastritis.

BACKGROUND

Due to the lack of unified diagnostic standards and low clinical awareness, autoimmune gastritis (AIG) remains underdiagnosed globally. This study aimed to employ the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle to enhance the diagnostic rate of AIG.

METHODS

This single-center, prospective, observational study enrolled 20 endoscopists from two hospital campuses (10 each in the intervention and control groups). The intervention group underwent PDCA cycle management, including standardized training and dynamic data monitoring, while the control group received no intervention. Diagnostic rates were compared before and after the intervention.

RESULTS

A total of 9,763 patients underwent gastroscopy by 20 endoscopists, among whom 67 were diagnosed with AIG. Application of the PDCA cycle further standardized the diagnostic process of AIG in the Department of Gastroenterology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University. The diagnostic rate of AIG in the PDCA group reached 0.987%, while that in the control group was 0.423% (P < 0.001), exceeding the target of 0.9% and higher than previously reported baseline rates in Asia. Moreover, the diagnostic rates at all stages of the PDCA cycle in the PDCA group were higher than those in the control group.

CONCLUSION

Implementation of the PDCA cycle was associated with a higher diagnostic rate of AIG in this quality-improvement setting, supporting its potential value in improving case detection and standardizing the diagnostic workflow. Trial registration Clinical Trials.gov,NCT06557252. Registered on 13/8/2024. https://register.

CLINICALTRIALS: gov/prs/beta/studies/S000ESP900000038/recordSummary . Registered 6 July 2021.