TABLE 3.

List of improvement projects carried out by Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 participants in the Strengthening Laboratory Management Towards Accreditation (SLMTA) programme in Lesotho.

Improvement project	Cohort 1	Cohort 2
1	Establish a document control system at QAU.	Reduce specimen rejection rate.
2	Improve the reporting of equipment breakdown and servicing to QAU by laboratories.	Improve turnaround time of test results.
3	Improve EQA participation of laboratories in Lesotho.	Improve IQC documentation (logs, reviews, corrective actions) in the CD4 testing section.
4	Improve performance scores on the general and safety audit by using the WHO–AFRO–SLIPTA checklist.	Improve EQA documentation (report reviews, investigation of poor performance and corrective actions).
5	Improve blood usage for transfusion.	Improve inventory management and decrease stock-outs.
6	Improve pap smear collection and transportation to Cytology.	Monitor and improve client satisfaction.
7	Improve result validation in Haematology at the Queen Elizabeth II Central Laboratory.	Implement visual cues in chemistry at Queen Elizabeth II Central Laboratory.
8	Establish IQC at Blood Transfusion Services.	Improve equipment maintenance performance and documentation at Motabang.
9	Improve waste management at blood transfusion services.	-
10	Determine CD4 sample stability for the Cyflow CD4 analyser at St Joseph’s.	-

QAU, Quality Assurance Unit; EQA, external quality assurance; IQC, internal quality control; WHO–AFRO–SLIPTA, World Health Organization Regional Headquarters for Africa Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Toward Accreditation.