Abstract:

Objective

To explore the application of the quality control circle activity in improving the detection rate of thyroid nodules by fine-needle aspiration under the guidance of ultrasound.

Methods

From May to October 2023， the Ultrasound Department of No. 2 Hospital of Yinzhou District， Ningbo City， launched a quality control circle activity with the theme of “increasing the detection of thyroid nodules by fine-needle aspiration”.The information of 50 patients who underwent fine-needle aspiration of thyroid nodules from May 15 to 26，2023 （examination of 7 observation points per case， with a total of 350 observation points） to analyze the factors influencing the detection rate by fine-needle aspiration under ultrasound guidance. Corresponding countermeasures were then formulated and implemented， and 50 cases of thyroid nodules undergoing fine-needle aspiration from September 18 to 29， 2023 were tested for the non-conformity rate， the rate of goal achievement， and the rate of improvement， and the quality control circle activity continued to be implemented. Before （April 1 to 30， 2023）and after the implementation of the quality control circle activity （November 1 to 30， 2023）， the information of patients who underwent fine-needle aspiration of thyroid nodules Was collected to calculate the detection rate of thyroid nodule by fine-needle aspiration， and the χ² test was used to compare the difference in the detection rate between before and after the implementation of the quality control circle activity. The thyroid gland nodules were punctured every month from December 2023 to April 2024.

Results

After the implementation of the quality control circle activity （September 18 to 29， 2023）， the non-conformity rate decreased from 16.9% （59/350） before the implementation to 5.71% （20/350）， the rate of goal achievement was 118.1%， and the rate of improvement was 66.1%. Thyroid gland nodules were detected in 93.1% （121/130） of the patients after the implementation of quality control circle activity. The positive rate of thyroid gland nodules was 81.6% （93/114） before the implementation of quality control circle activity. The positive rate after implementation of quality control circle activity was significantly higher than that before implementation （χ²=7.446，P=0.006）. The detection rate of thyroid modules by fine-needle aspiration was 94.2%， 92.7%， 94.9%， 93.2%， and 92.8%， respectively， from December 2023 to April 2024.

Conclusion

The implementation of quality control circle activity can effectively improve the detection rate of thyroid nodules by fine-needle aspiration， which is worthy promotion.

Key words: Quality control circle, Quality control, Ultrasonography, interventional, Thyroid nodules, Fine-needle aspiration