Application of the PDCA Cycle to Improve Quality Control in Pulmonary Function Testing for Early Screening of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to improve the quality of pulmonary function testing (PFT) used for early screening of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) within a regional medical consortium by applying the Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) quality improvement framework. METHODS: This study was conceptualized as a quality improvement (QI) initiative and is documented in compliance with the SQUIRE 2.0 (Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence) guidelines. A baseline situational assessment within the medical consortium identified insufficient expiratory effort as the primary factor affecting PFT quality. Subsequent root cause analysis indicated that inadequate professional training, absence of continuous supervision, and lack of standardized pre-examination procedures were the main contributing factors. Based on these findings, targeted quality improvement measures were implemented using the PDCA cycle. These measures included structured training programs, optimization of testing processes, and establishment of a dedicated quality control team. PFT qualification rates were compared before and after implementation. Additionally, a non-PDCA consortium in the same region that did not apply PDCA-based initiatives served as a comparison group, and qualification rates between the two consortia were evaluated after 6 months. RESULTS: In the PDCA consortium, the PFT qualification rate increased from 49.38% prior to implementation to 95.08% following implementation and remained consistently above 95%. In contrast, the non-PDCA consortium achieved a maximum qualification rate of only 55.78% during the same period. CONCLUSION: Application of the PDCA framework effectively optimized PFT procedures and improved overall testing quality within the PDCA consortium.