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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., Methods: A desk review of SLIPTA and SLMTA databases was conducted to identify ISO15189-accredited medical laboratories between January 2013 and December 2020. Data on access to the LQSI tool were extracted from the WHO database. Facility and country characteristics were collected for analysis as possible enablers of accreditation. The chi-square test was used to analyse differences with level of significance set at <0.05., Results: A total of 668 laboratories achieved accreditation by 2020 representing a 75% increase from the number in 2013. Accredited laboratories were mainly in South Africa (n = 396; 55%) and Kenya (n = 106; 16%), two countries with national accreditation bodies. About 16.9% (n = 113) of the accredited laboratories were registered for the SLIPTA programme and 26.6% (n = 178) for SLMTA. Approximately 58,217 LQSI users were registered by December 2020. Countries with a higher UHC index for access to HIV care and treatment, higher WHO JEE scores for laboratory networks, a larger number of registered LQSI users, with national laboratory policy/strategic plans and PEPFAR-priority countries were more likely to have an accredited laboratory. Of the 475 laboratories engaged in the SLIPTA programme, 154 attained ≥4 SLIPTA stars (ready to apply for accreditation) and 113 achieved ISO 15189 accreditation, with 96 enrolled into the SLMTA programme. Lower-tier laboratories were less likely to achieve accreditation than higher-tier laboratories (7.7% vs. 30%) (p < 0.001). The probability of achieving ISO 15189 accreditation (19%) was highest during the first 24 months after enrolment into the SLIPTA programme., Conclusion: To sustainably anchor quality improvement initiatives at facility level, national approaches including access to a national accreditation authority, adoption of national quality standards and regulatory frameworks are required., (© 2022 The Authors Tropical Medicine & International Health Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives To determine the level and evaluate factors affecting the participation of laboratory professionals in continuous professional development (CPD) programs in eastern and southern Africa. Methods A survey was conducted among laboratory professionals from 14 countries. The CPD participation was defined as low if it was fewer than 2 CPD trainings in the past 2 years. Associations between categorical variables were tested for significance using Fisher exact test. Results Of the expected 400, 283 (70% response rate) individuals participated in the survey. Of these, 153 (54%) had low CPD participation and 199 (70%) were aware of CPD educational activities in their respective country. Those with diploma certificates attended more CPD programs (P <.001) than those with undergraduate and master's degrees. Awareness of CPD programs was associated with a higher level of CPD participation (P =.0001). Job satisfaction was significantly associated with high levels of CPD participation (P =.02). Other factors associated with high level of participation in CPD programs included affordability (P =.03), funding by employer (P =.0005), and awareness of legal CPD requirements (P =.002). Conclusions The CPD programs are considered useful to an individual's professional development, although there was low participation. It is recommended that different formats and platforms be used to expand CPD programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]