What question did this study set out to answer?

This research investigates how the PDCA cycle can reduce postoperative dysphagia in oral cancer patients after radical surgery.

March 5, 2026Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare0 citationsOpen Access

Application of the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle in Reducing the Incidence of Dysphagia in Oral Cancer Patients After Radical Surgery

ZHZe-Ying Hu LXLing-nv Xie GLGuanmian Liang

Key Points

This research investigates how the PDCA cycle can reduce postoperative dysphagia in oral cancer patients after radical surgery.
Non-synchronous pre-post control design used
120 patients received routine care as control group
120 patients in observation group received PDCA-based multidisciplinary rehabilitation
Incidence of dysphagia assessed at 1, 2, and 4 weeks post-surgery
Observation group had lower moderate-to-severe dysphagia rates at 2 weeks (50% vs. 72.5%)
Observation group saw reduced dysphagia rates at 4 weeks (27.5% vs. 60%)
Shorter hospital stays in observation group (15.73 days vs. 20.63 days)
Lower hospital costs in observation group ($4.30 vs. $5.16)
Shorter nasogastric tube retention times in observation group (13.07 days vs. 15.08 days)

Abstract

Objective: The incidence of postoperative dysphagia in oral cancer patients is high, significantly impacting their quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of a PDCA cycle in reducing the incidence of postoperative dysphagia in oral cancer patients. Methods: A non-synchronous pre-post control design was employed. From January to June 2024, 120 patients undergoing radical surgery for oral cancer were assigned to the control group, receiving routine care. While 120 patients admitted between July and December 2024 formed the observation group, receiving multidisciplinary swallowing rehabilitation management based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. Primary outcomes comprised the incidence of moderate-to-severe dysphagia at 1, 2, and 4 weeks post-surgery. Secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay, hospital costs, and nasogastric tube retention duration. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics. The proportions of patients with moderate to severe dysphagia 12.5% and 10%, preoperatively (P > 0.05). The observation group exhibited significantly lower rates of moderate-to-severe dysphagia at 2 weeks (50% vs.72.5%) and 4 weeks (27.5% vs 60%) postoperatively compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The observation group exhibited significantly reduced hospital stays (15.73 ± 6.217 vs 20.63 ± 2.713), lower hospital costs (4.30± 1.930 vs 5.16 ± 1.889), and shorter nasogastric tube retention times (13.07 ± 1.465 vs 15.08 ± 1.612) (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The PDCA cycle management model, through systematic and standardized multidisciplinary collaboration, effectively reduces the incidence of moderate-to-severe dysphagia in oral cancer patients postoperatively. It promotes recovery of swallowing function, shortens hospital stays, and reduces medical costs, thereby serving as an effective method for improving the quality of dysphagia management following oral cancer surgery. Keywords: oral cancer, dysphagia, PDCA, quality improvement, postoperative rehabilitation

AI से पूछें

Bookmark

View Full Paper