EFFECTIVE CORRECTIVE AND PREVENTIVE ACTION (CAPA) AS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT IN QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (QMS)
- Charles Okendo, Global Implementation Solutions (GIS)
BACKGROUND
In every process, errors, deviations and failures sometimes arise. It is therefore imperative that if and when the deviations occur, they receive not only effective but also skilled attention with the tenet of averting any recurrence.
In the past, Corrective Preventive Actions (CAPAS) were not structured making it impossible to verify if at all they had any impact on quality of testing for HIV.
With the introduction of SLMTA, the changes in the trends have been visible and tremendous since the approach at present is holistic and gives prominence to:
1.Undertaking detail oriented and objectively supported root cause analysis.
2.Implementation of appropriate and easy to follow solutions.
3.Provision of confirmation that the deviations will not repeat.
4.Establishment of all records for the various stages of investigations.
In the profound interest of Quality Management Systems (QMS) ,corrective actions should be part of the regularly championed events as out lined in ISO 15189 :2012 Clause 4.10 and 4.11 as well as SLIPTA checklist section 10.
METHOD
Through one on one mentor ship of the(HIV) testers in the laboratory , HIV testing services staff, Sub-County Medical Laboratory Coordinators (SCMLC) and HTS supervisors with sole aim of cascading the training to the respective facilities, steady sensitization have been and are still on to deliver the best understanding and administration of the CAPAs with meaningful out comes.
CAPA forms have been developed and explained to the users. The need has been pointed out to have CAPA discussions done during regular meeting to make it common place. The outcomes have been computed retrospectively from Proficiency Testing Rounds 17, 18 and 19.
RESULTS
The gathered information was tabulated for the seven facilities as below:
| Facility Name: | Un successful R17 | Un successful R18 | Un successful R19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macalder S.C.H | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Lwanda Dispensary | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Karungu S.C.H | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Olasi Dispensary | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Thimlich Dispensary | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kombato Dispensary | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bande Dispensary | 0 | 2 | 0 |
The impact/effectiveness of CAPA was evident and the closely knit collaboration with the SCML who supported the activities in the spirit of Extended Continuous Quality Improvement (ECQI) could not be underrated.
CONCLUSION
Learning from Corrective Preventive Action (CAPA). Processes are integral and should feed into the Management Review as well as regular facility meetings where overall trends in Proficiency Testing failings, investigation findings ,solution implementation etc. can be monitored to ensure that CAPA process remains an effective and critical component to drive Quality Management Systems (QMS).