Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC) Practice Exam 2025 – The All-in-One Guide for Exam Success

The Shewhart cycle, also known as the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle, is a continuous quality improvement model created by Walter Shewhart. This model emphasizes the importance of planning for changes, implementing those changes, checking to assess their effectiveness, and acting upon what has been learned to refine and improve processes.

The first step, "Plan," involves identifying a goal or purpose and developing a strategy to achieve it. The second step, "Do," focuses on implementing the plan on a small scale to test its effectiveness. In the "Check" step, results are monitored and evaluated to determine whether the plan is yielding the desired outcomes. Finally, in the "Act" phase, adjustments are made based on the findings, and successful strategies may be standardized or further refined.

Understanding this sequence is crucial for infection control as it helps ensure that processes are continually optimized, contributing to enhanced patient safety and quality of care in healthcare settings.