Quality and Safety Improvement in Cancer Chemotherapy Using the Plan–Do–Check–Act Cycle

Satoshi Hibi; Kenji Ina; Megumi Kabeya; Hiroki Inoue; Yuko Shirokawa; Shu Yuasa

Volume : V, Issue : XII, December - 2015

Quality and Safety Improvement in Cancer Chemotherapy Using the Plan–Do–Check–Act Cycle

Satoshi Hibi, Kenji Ina, Megumi Kabeya, Hiroki Inoue, Yuko Shirokawa, Shu Yuasa

Abstract :

The Plan–Do–Check–Act (PDCA) cycle has been effectively used to improve medical safety management. We selected six general items and two drug–specific items, all with a high risk in the chemotherapy process, and then checked the listed items for the patients who were administered antineoplastic agents. A risk assessment was implemented for each item to minimize the severe consequences of chemotherapy management errors. The first cycle of PDCA made it clear that full examination of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection status was performed in only 30–40% of patients receiving anticancer drugs. Therefore, we disseminated the information of the risk of HBV reactivation induced by chemotherapy and changed the electronic medical records system to facilitate hepatitis B status testing. Application of the PDCA cycle successfully increased the check rate of HBs–Ab and HBc–Ab up to over 90 % in cancer patients before the commencement of chemotherapy.