Document 2710
 DOCN  M94A2710
 TI    Quality assurance (QA) in Dominican laboratories doing HIV testing.
 DT    9412
 AU    Koenig RE; Malla A; Butler M; National Laboratory of Public Health,
       Santo Domingo, Dominican; Republic.
 SO    Int Conf AIDS. 1994 Aug 7-12;10(1):242 (abstract no. PB0398). Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE ICA10/94369865
 AB    OBJECTIVE: To determine how the QA intervention during the previous year
       influenced the outcome of the laboratory evaluations this year and to
       extend the appraisal of laboratory capability with respect to HIV
       testing to the entire country. METHODS: Two criteria were utilized:
       laboratory inspections and a proficiency panel prepared in the country.
       RESULTS: The overall inspection average of all the laboratories that
       participated last year increased from 3.71 (of 5) in 1992 to 4.06 in
       1993. The average for the laboratories that joined the program this year
       was 3.56. A total of 116 laboratories participated in the program. In
       the proficiency panel, the laboratories from last year correctly
       identified 91.4% of the reactive sera and 100% of the nonreactive sera;
       whereas, the laboratories joining this year only identified 78.2% of the
       reactive samples and 98.7% of the nonreactive. When the participants
       evaluated the project, 72% said they had implemented at least 55% of the
       suggestions made by the inspectors, while all indicated their desire for
       the program to continue. CONCLUSIONS: QA programs can bring about
       positive changes in laboratory performance and are needed in developing
       countries to improve and maintain the quality of the clinical
       laboratories. Moreover, such a program in the area of HIV diagnosis
       could provide the impetus to develop QA programs for all areas of the
       laboratory.
 DE    *AIDS Serodiagnosis  *Developing Countries  Dominican Republic  Human
       HIV Seropositivity/*DIAGNOSIS/IMMUNOLOGY  Predictive Value of Tests
       *Quality Assurance, Health Care  Quality Control  MEETING ABSTRACT

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