TABLE 2.

Summary of improvement activities.

Improvement activities	Purpose	Outcome
Total hospital management	To obtain hospital support and provide a link with other hospital departments	Financial support and total hospital team involvement
Meeting with procurement and maintenance units	To ensure proper supplies and periodic equipment maintenance	Availability of supplies with required specifications and reduction of equipment down time
Laboratory–clinician meetings	To provide link between laboratory and clinical department	Reduction in complaints and sample rejection rates; increase in clinician confidence in the laboratory
1-on-1 mentorship	To remind staff of laboratory objectives and address individual weaknesses	All staff focused on quality improvement
Time management	To improve staff punctuality	Staff available to perform assigned tasks
‘Wall of Fame’ and ‘Wall of Shame’	To improve staff attitude and motivation	Competition amongst staff to improve quality
Succession plan	To ensure continuity of improvement process	Continuous improvement even in the absence of key personnel
Customer survey	To solicit customer feedback to guide improvement	Feedback used for further improvement of the laboratory process
Internal audits	To monitor progress	Gaps identified and addressed
External surveillance audit	To track sustainability of improvement	Evidence of continued quality management in the absence of mentorship