To evaluate the implementation of plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle in critical value management within ultrasound departments across Anhui Province, in order to enhance the timeliness of reporting and healthcare quality through targeted interventions.

In February 2025, the Anhui Provincial Ultrasound Medicine Quality Control Center issued a critical value reporting survey to healthcare institutions across the province. The questionnaire encompassed three core domains: (1) demographic characteristics and institutional profiles of respondents; (2) operational bottlenecks encountered during critical value identification and reporting workflows; and (3) competency assessment on standardized protocols for critical value management. To synergize knowledge reinforcement with data collection, the 2022 edition of Medical Quality Control Indicators for Ultrasound Diagnosis was embedded as a normative reference appendix within the survey instrument. This design enabled real-time alignment of respondents' operational knowledge with national standards during survey completion. The intervention efficacy was quantitatively evaluated by analyzing the critical value reporting rate during the first quarter of 2025, which served as a key performance indicator for post-training quality improvement.

The survey revealed that insufficient training on critical value reporting knowledge, redundant reporting processes, and timely feedback for only a portion of reported critical value cases were the primary factors contributing to the low critical value reporting rate. Following targeted training programs, the critical value reporting rate in the first quarter of 2025 reached 99.53%, showing improvement compared to Anhui Province's rates of 97.73% in 2023 and 98.66% in 2024, and exceeding the national average of 99.38% in 2023.

In the implementation of PDCA cycle for critical value reporting in ultrasound departments across Anhui Province, insufficient training intensity, redundant reporting processes, and timely feedback on few reported critical value cases represent institutional bottlenecks and implementation barriers within the reporting system. Targeted interventions can improve the critical value notification rate.​