Perform a client satisfaction survey to discover points for improvement of the laboratory services. Below follows a stepwise approach to performing a client satisfaction survey.

• The laboratory has different types of clients, such as patients, clinicians, Ministry of Health, program managers, funding agencies, etc. The first step is identifying in which group/groups the laboratory wants to measure the satisfaction. In the right-hand column an information sheet from the WHO Laboratory Quality Management System (LQMS) handbook is included that provides background information on clients of the laboratory and satisfaction measurement.
• In the second step a questionnaire needs to be developed that questions the client about his/her experience regarding all aspects of laboratory service. Think of:
  • Laboratory accessibility
  • Provision of information by the laboratory
  • Provision of services by the laboratory, such as:
    • Timeliness of reporting
    • Clarity of reports
    • Assistance in case of questions
  • Facilities and safety
  • Treatment by staff
  • It is important that the laboratory adds a section to the questionnaires in which clients can write down suggestions for improvement of the laboratory and/or remarks; this way the laboratory can record issues that could have been missed by the questions

  In the sheet (‘Example questions for a client satisfaction questionnaire’) provided in the right-hand column example questions are given for each aspect of service that could be used to get an impression on which topic the laboratory can measure client satisfaction. This is not an exhaustive list and should be used as a start. The laboratory itself must add questions. Adapt questions to the target group: don't ask the same questions to the Ministry of Health/sponsor of the laboratory as asked to patients.
  Also in the right-hand column is a template of a one-page customer service survey form that can also be adapted and used by laboratories.

• Pilot each questionnaire in 3 to 5 subjects per target group to see if all the questions are formulated correctly and understood correctly by the interviewees. E.g. if answers indicate that clients misunderstand a question, this question needs to be adapted.
• Based on the pilot the questionnaires must be optimized and subsequently conducted in a group of randomly selected clients that is large enough to get a representative view on how clients think about the laboratory services.
• The answers to the questionnaire must be collected in one overview per target group so that points for improvement can easily be identified. Based on this a report must be written that explains when and how the survey was done and the results and points for improvement identified.
• This report is discussed with laboratory staff and management so that everybody is aware of the points for improvement and also solutions to convert certain points for improvement into practice can already be designed.
• The laboratory management decides which points for improvement are realistically achievable. A SMART action plan must be drafted to implement these points for improvement.
• In the following satisfaction survey extra attention must be paid to monitor the improvements made based on the previous survey and to see if these indeed led to improvement of client satisfaction.

Perform the satisfaction survey at least once per two years.