Progressing beyond SLMTA: Are internal audits and corrective action the key drivers of quality improvement?

Background: Kenya has implemented the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme to facilitate quality improvement in medical laboratories and to support national accreditation goals. Continuous quality improvement after SLMTA completion is needed to ensure sustainability and continue progress toward accreditation.

Methods: Audits were conducted by qualified, independent auditors to assess the performance of five enrolled laboratories using the Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist.

Impact of Plasmodium falciparum infection on haematological parameters in children living in Western Kenya.

Background: Malaria is the commonest cause of childhood morbidity in Western Kenya with varied haematological consequences. The t study sought to elucidate the haematological changes in children infected with malaria and their impact on improved diagnosis and therapy of childhood malaria.

Methods: Haematological parameters in 961 children, including 523 malaria-infected and 438 non-malaria infected, living in Kisumu West District, an area of malaria holoendemic transmission in Western Kenya were evaluated.