Abstract #22  -  Quality assurance in an HIV/AIDS chronic care laboratory, successes and challenges. A TASO Experience.
Authors:   Presenting Author:   Dr Mukuzi Muhereza - The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO)
Additional Authors:  Dr MUKUZI Muhereza,
Aim: TASO currently has a cumulative of over 200,000 patients on chronic care. The centres are spread all over the country some of which are located in very remote areas where laboratory services can not have a much needed ‘second look’. This paper describes the issues, successes and challenges faced by an isolated rural placed laboratory battling with keeping quality in the care of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Method / Issue: The laboratory carries out all the routine tests but also in collaboration with the regional laboratory 120km away can have results for CD4 and sometimes viral load. The main tests are: HIV serology, sputum smear for tuberculosis, a variety of serological tests based on antibody-antigen agglutination and other bacterial and fungal smears. These need some ‘second look’ to be sure that we are reporting the real results from the samples given. It is also a requirement for both the national TB and Leprosy and HIV testing protocol guidelines to have samples randomly and routinely observed for quality assurance. We sampled three separate batches for VCT and sent to the regional laboratory for the same test. The national tuberculosis and leprosy program also visited our laboratory and also took all the tuberculosis slides for the period Jan to March 2008.
Results / Comments: There was 100% concordance of our samples and the regional laboratory and the national tuberculosis and leprosy program samples were also 100% concordant. There was also good report on our record keeping and the general cleanliness of the laboratory.
Discussion: Challenges of attracting and keeping high calibre laboratory staff in the rural area we operate in remain. Transportation of samples to the regional laboratory so that samples remain in good status is also a challenge.
Go Back