title: Assessment of quality assurance in HIV testing in health facilities in Lake Victoria zone, Tanzania.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza Research Centre, P.O Box 14 62, Mwanza, Tanzania. mashauri@hotmail.com
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Mashauri
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Siza
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Temu
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Mngara
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kishamawe
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Changalucha
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000379:methods*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006268:Health Facilities; D006801:Humans; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D013636:Tanzania