Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a project achievement-oriented Quality Control Circle (QCC) model in improving traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) nursing outcomes for elderly patients with conservatively treated distal radius fractures (DRFs). This retrospective comparative study included 112 elderly DRF patients admitted between June 2022 and December 2023. Based on the admission period, 56 patients (June 2022–March 2023) received routine care (control group), and 56 patients (March–December 2023) received a comprehensive TCM nursing model driven by a project-oriented QCC. Outcomes included complication rate, TCM intervention delivery rate, pain (Visual Analog Scale), swelling score, wrist function (Cooney score), and patient/staff satisfaction. Both groups received identical Menghe School bone-setting and small splint fixation. The intervention group additionally received a QCC-driven comprehensive TCM nursing model. The intervention group showed significantly lower total complication rates (3.6% vs 19.6%, relative risk = 0.18,
P
= .008), a higher TCM delivery rate (100% vs 64%,
P
P
< .05) compared with the control group. All 9 quality indicators met or exceeded targets. Staff competency and team cohesion also improved. This retrospective study suggests that a project-oriented QCC model may enhance TCM nursing quality and short-term clinical outcomes in elderly DRF patients. However, given the study’s observational design and single-center setting, these preliminary findings require validation through multicenter prospective trials with validated instruments and long-term follow-up. Robustness analysis using a propensity score-matched concurrent control group yielded consistent findings, supporting the validity of the primary results.