A cross the globe, clinical laboratories play a pivotal role in disease control and prevention programmes by providing timely and accurate information for patient management and disease surveillance.
As human error is always a possibility, implementing a quality management system (QMS) prevents mistakes from occurring, or at least minimise the risk of errors occurring, thereby providing an guarantee to patients that services received is of high quality.
Though laboratories form the backbone of health systems, providing healthcare workers with critical test results for numerous deadly diseases, yet in sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria, laboratories are confronted with the challenge of ill-equipped, poorly resourced facilities and dearth in skilled manpower.
Other challenges include weak lack of essential reagents, consumables, limited quality assurance and control protocols.
The human resource element-clinical laboratory staff (pathologist, pathology assistant, medical laboratory scientist and technician) and laboratory management (laboratory medical director, technical supervisors and quality control managers) -is virtually absent in most clinical laboratories.
This development leads to clinical misdiagnosis and threatens the integrity of the industry as it remains an integral part of an efficient healthcare system.
Paradigm shift
Given the lacuna evident in clinical laboratory operations, there Is the need for situation analysis to collect quantitative and qualitative data on the current status of laboratory services on which to base the strategic plan and laboratories.
Kehinde Aluko, Kehinde Aluko, managing director, Clina-Lancet Laboratories, Nigeria, said that a laboratory organisation framework, state-of-the art facilities for clinical diagnosis, observing biosafety and biosecurity precautions, continuous staff re-training requirements and Standard Operating procedure (SOP) for equipment and technologies at each level are critical for an efficient lab operation. This, clina-lancet labs, has been able to put to use.
Aluko stated that why the company maintains SOPs in line with international best practice, it has been able to excel through periodic hands-on training of technical personnel outside Nigeria in order to keep abreast with evolving trends in global clinical space.
“We have in place a robust management information system that provides regular and accurate data for evaluating and planning quality laboratory services. These include information collection, analysis of results, periodic reporting on equipment and supplies, summary of testing processes, quality assessment reports and inventory.
“Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems with targets and measurable indicators will improve the delivery of quality laboratory services. This must incorporate laboratory activities such as adherence to SOP’s, safety guidelines, quality assessment activities, laboratory performance and workload, and utilisation of supervisory tools. This Clina-Lancet Laboratory with over 40 years of existence has made it become an emerging name on the African continent”
She added that Clina-Lancet’s is part of a network of over 90 specialist pathologists and 3500 technical personnel that serves its patients, a move aimed at ensuring excellence in service delivery.
“For us in Clina-Lancet Laboratories Nigeria with operations in South Africa and 14 other African countries, quality of testing, efficient quality control and quality assurance are what we strive for in order to assist in delivering the best patient care,” Aluko pointed out.
Clinical diagnosis
The aim of medical tests is to improve the efficacy of diagnostic medicine, compliments the technology deficiency in the tertiary hospitals, avail doctors the opportunity to practice evidence-based medicine (EBM) and bridge the gap between Nigeria and other countries in the area of clinical diagnosis.
Unfortunately, several laboratories in Nigeria cannot boast of internal quality control which has become the bane of accurate laboratory results.
The severe health problems and the often present scarcity of medical tools and interventions underscore the need for drawing upon interventions that have proven to work.
In developing countries there is often a lack of coordinated structures for translation of health research findings into policy, local health information systems are often underdeveloped, and trained health workers are often not willing to work in rural areas
Idris Durojaiye, medical director, Clina-Lancet Laboratories said that EBM advocates the use of up-to-date “best” scientific evidence from health care research as the basis for making medical decisions.
Durojiaye explained that EBM has three main advantages: offers the most objective way to determine and maintain consistently high quality and safety standards in medical practice; help speed up the process of transferring clinical research findings into practice and has the potential to reduce health-care costs significantly.
According to Durojaiye “Under the medical direction of a team of board-certified pathologists, the technical expertise of our staff (anatomic pathology, hematology, virology, microbiology, molecular diagnostics, etc), afford patients the ability to get clinical diagnosis, a development which is not obtainable in all labs within the country as a result of varying standards.
“With 2 primary testing sites that are open 24 hours a day, we provide laboratory testing for research studies. We offer services to patients include medical record number consistency between inpatients and outpatient for historical tracking, web-based retrieval for test results, experienced phlebotomists at each Outpatient Lab location (including paediatric and geriatric collections)
“Since EBM is key in clinical diagnosis by physicians, we ensure that turn-around time for test results is reduced drastically, test information and specimen requirements are spelt out, courier service for specimen pick up are available. These measures ensure that misdiagnosis is minimised,” Durojaiye added.
While Nigerians are not in the habit of periodic health checks, Aluko noted that laboratory health awareness program is designed to ensure Nigerians are aware of their personal health in a bid to encourage preventive care.
“This wellness health check provides access to laboratory testing to support your personal health; provides information about the test for your personal health record and encourages you to share your results with your doctor and to discuss your test results as part of a complete medical exam,” Aluko added.
Alexander Chiejina
