title: Implementing a continuous quality improvement program for reducing pressure prevalence in a teaching hospital in China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine whether a continuous quality improvement program would reduce pressure ulcer prevalence.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study sample comprised 2913 patients who were used as a baseline comparison group and 3019 patients who acted as the intervention group. The research setting was a 3000-bed teaching hospital with 61 nursing units located in Wuhan, China.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective study compared pressure ulcer prevalence of patients admitted to hospital before and after implementation of a continuous quality improvement program designed to reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers. The program was implemented after baseline data were collected in April and the comparison prevalence survey was completed in October of the same year. Pressure ulcer prevalence data were collected on a single day.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall pressure ulcer prevalence (combining ulcers that were hospital acquired and present on admission) was 1.8% at baseline as compared to 1.4% following implementation of the quality improvement program. The prevalence of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers was 1.5% at baseline; it was 1.1% following the intervention. Excluding stage 1 pressure ulcers, the prevalence was 0.8% and 0.6%, respectively. No stage 4 pressure ulcers were identified when prevalence was measured after initiation of the prevention project.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pressure ulcer prevalence, which was low at baseline measurement, did not statistically significantly decrease, despite a comprehensive quality improvement program.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cong
authors.forename: Jiaohua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yilan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017749:Total Quality Management