Effect Analysis of PDCA Cycle Management in Hospital Infection Control in Psychiatric Wards

Objective To analyze the application effect of the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle management model in hospital infection control in closed psychiatric wards, and to provide a theoretical basis and practical reference for reducing the nosocomial infection rate in psychiatric wards. Methods A male psychiatric ward in Shanghai Second Civil Mental Health Center from January 2023 to December 2025 was selected as the study subject. The year 2023 was set as the control group (routine management), while the years 2024 and 2025 were set as the observation group (PDCA cycle management implemented on the basis of routine management). Indicators including the number of inpatients, total bed days, patient age, number of infection cases, infection days, nosocomial infection rate, and hand sanitizer consumption were collected and compared across the three years. The independent sample t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for data analysis. Results (1) Basic indicators: The number of inpatients showed significant differences in all pairwise comparisons across the three years (P<0.05), with the highest number in 2024; total bed days showed a significant difference only between 2023 and 2024 (P=0.023); patient age showed a significant increasing trend year by year (P<0.01). (2) Infection indicators: Comparing 2023 and 2024, there were no significant differences in the number of infection cases, infection days, or nosocomial infection rate (P>0.05); comparing 2024 and 2025, significant differences were found in the number of infection cases (P=0.024), infection days (P=0.017), and nosocomial infection rate (P=0.034), with all indicators being significantly lower in 2025; comparing 2023 and 2025, the above three infection indicators also showed significant differences (P<0.01), with 2025 being significantly lower than 2023. There was no significant difference in hand sanitizer consumption across the three years (P>0.05). Conclusion The PDCA cycle management model can significantly reduce the incidence of nosocomial infections in closed psychiatric wards. It achieves continuous improvement in infection control effectiveness despite the aging of the patient population and fluctuations in the number of inpatients, demonstrating significant clinical value for promotion.