Examining 7 years of implementing quality management systems in medical laboratories in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Achievement of ISO15189 accreditation demonstrates competency of a laboratory to conduct testing. Three programmes were developed to facilitate achievement of accreditation in low- and middle-income countries: Strengthening Laboratory Management Towards Accreditation (SLMTA), Stepwise Laboratory Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) and Laboratory Quality Stepwise Implementation (LQSI).

Objective: To determine the level of accreditation and associated barriers and facilitators among medical laboratories in the WHO-AFRO region by 2020.

Implementation of a customised antimicrobial resistance laboratory scorecard in Cameroon, Ethiopia and Kenya.

Background: In low-resource settings, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is detected by traditional culture-based methods and ensuring the quality of such services is a challenge. The AMR Scorecard provides laboratories with a technical assessment tool for strengthening the quality of bacterial culture, identification, and antimicrobial testing procedures.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of the AMR Scorecard in 11 pilot laboratory evaluations in three countries also assessed with the Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist.

Review of the Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) version 2:2015.

Background: In 2011 the Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) was launched, aimed at strengthening the quality and competence of African clinical, public health and reference laboratories. We reviewed the first version of the SLIPTA checklist in 2011. The continued development and publication of a new version of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189 standard demands a renewed review.

Evaluation of the WHO laboratory quality stepwise implementation tool.

Objectives: To introduce the Laboratory Quality Stepwise Implementation (LQSI) tool and provide data about its roll-out, usage and effectiveness in assisting laboratories with quality improvement.

Methods: The LQSI tool, a freely available stepwise guide, was developed by WHO to assist laboratories with efficiently implementing a quality management system.

Results: Since the tool's launch in 2014, it has been accessed by 130 986 unique users from 195 of 206 listed states.

A new matrix for scoring the functionality of national laboratory networks in Africa: introducing the LABNET scorecard.

Background: Functional national laboratory networks and systems are indispensable to the achievement of global health security targets according to the International Health Regulations. The lack of indicators to measure the functionality of national laboratory network has limited the efficiency of past and current interventions to enhance laboratory capacity in resource-limited-settings.

Scorecard For Laboratory Networks: We have developed a matrix for the assessment of national laboratory network functionality and progress thereof, with support from the African Society of Laboratory Medicine and the Association of Public Health Laboratories.