We aimed to assess the impact of plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycles on tracheostomy weaning in ICU patients from 2019 through 2023.
A retrospective study was conducted at a private hospital, analyzing recorded data from two PDCA cycles that were implemented to reduce mean tracheostomy weaning times between 2019 and 2023. We further classified distinct timeframes for a separate analysis, including the baseline (April 2019–August 2020), the period post-PDCA cycle I (January 2021–April 2022) and the period post-PDCA cycle II (August 2022–December 2023).
A total of 70 individuals completed the protocol (mean age ± SD, 60.51 ± 17.19 years; 31.4% female). One-way ANOVA revealed mean differences in weaning time compared to 2019 were significant: 2020–3.86 days (p = 0.02), 2021–6.56 days (p = 0.00), 2022–7.80 days (p = 0.00) and 2023–8.74 days (p = 0.00). Subgroup analysis also revealed significant differences in weaning time among baseline, post-first PDCA cycle and post-second PDCA cycle (F (2) = 20.15, p = 0.00, η2 = 0.51).
This management model underscores the benefits of consistently improving the quality management of physiotherapy, delivering value-based healthcare through the collaboration of a multidisciplinary team.
