Assessment of quality assurance in HIV testing in health facilities in Lake Victoria zone, Tanzania

Tanzania is currently implementing the antiretroviral treatment programme, and has a target of putting about 400,000 eligible HIV infected individuals on treatment by 2008. This will involve screening a large number of people, which will require non-laboratory personnel to be involved in doing HIV t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Tanzania health research bulletin Vol. 9; no. 2; p. 110
Main Authors:	Mashauri, F.M, Siza, J.E, Temu, M.M, Mngara, J.T, Kishamawe, C, Changalucha, J.M
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Tanzania Health User's Trust Fund (HRUTF) 07-09-2007
Subjects:	Cross-Sectional Studies Diagnostic Tests, Routine - methods Health Facilities HIV Infections - diagnosis HIV Infections - drug therapy Humans Quality Assurance, Health Care - standards quality assurance, health facilities, laboratory, HIV/AIDS, Tanzania Tanzania Tanzania
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Summary:	Tanzania is currently implementing the antiretroviral treatment programme, and has a target of putting about 400,000 eligible HIV infected individuals on treatment by 2008. This will involve screening a large number of people, which will require non-laboratory personnel to be involved in doing HIV testing. In order to guarantee reliable and quality HIV test results, there is a need to ensure that quality assurance (QA) procedures are followed from specimen collection, testing and reporting of results. In light of the above a survey was conducted to assess QA in HIV testing in health facilities in Lake Victoria zone, Tanzania. A total of 89 health facilities (29 hospitals, 34 health centres, 9 dispensaries and 17 voluntary and counselling testing centres) were surveyed. Only three (10.3%) health facilities reported performing Uniform II ELISA for HIV diagnosis. All other health facilities reported to be using HIV rapid tests Capillus and Determine. Five (5.6%) of health facility laboratories performed CD4 counts. Internal quality control (IQC) were performed in 21 (63.6%) of the hospitals. Kits for HIV testing were reported to be readily available by 54 (60.7%) of the facilities. Only 16 (18%) of the health facilities had standard operating procedures in place. Systems of equipment calibration were reported by 13 (14.6%) of the health facilities. Counselling services were available in all health facilities and all counsellors had received the 6-week mandatory training course. These ﬁndings show that most of health facilities in the Lake Victoria zone do not adhere to QA procedures in HIV testing. There is therefore, a need to establish a monitoring system to laboratories performing HIV testing for the purpose of ensuring QA procedures are done. Personnel doing HIV testing should be re-trained at a regular basis to cope with new techniques and ensure QA procedures are followed.
ISSN:	0856-6496 0856-6496
DOI:	10.4314/thrb.v9i2.14312