title: Strengthening public health laboratory capacity in Thailand for International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Thailand conducted a national laboratory assessment of core capacities related to the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005), and thereby established a baseline to measure future progress. The assessment was limited to public laboratories found within the Thai Bureau of Quality and Safety of Food, National Institute of Health and regional medical science centres.
  
  
  METHODS
  The World Health Organization (WHO) laboratory assessment tool was adapted to Thailand through a participatory approach. This adapted version employed a specific scoring matrix and comprised 16 modules with a quantitative output. Two teams jointly performed the on-site assessments in December 2010 over a two-week period, in 17 public health laboratories in Thailand. The assessment focused on the capacity to identify and accurately detect pathogens mentioned in Annex 2 of the IHR (2005) in a timely manner, as well as other public health priority pathogens for Thailand.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Performance of quality management, budget and finance, data management and communications was considered strong (>90%); premises quality, specimen collection, biosafety, public health functions, supplies management and equipment availability were judged as very good (>70% but ≤90%); while microbiological capacity, staffing, training and supervision, and information technology needed improvement (>60% but ≤70%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This assessment is a major step in Thailand towards development of an optimized and standardized national laboratory network for the detection and reporting of infectious disease that would be compliant with IHR (2005). The participatory strategy employed to adapt an international tool to the Thai context can also serve as a model for use by other countries in the Region. The participatory approach probably ensured better quality and ownership of the results, while providing critical information to help decision-makers determine where best to invest finite resources.
authors.affiliation: WHO-Thailand, Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) Campus, Nonthaburi, Thailand ; Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States of America.
authors.forename: Anne Harwood
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Peruski
authors.affiliation: WHO-Thailand, Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) Campus, Nonthaburi, Thailand ; WHO-Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Birmingham
authors.affiliation: WHO-Thailand, Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) Campus, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
authors.forename: Chawalit
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tantinimitkul
authors.affiliation: Thailand MOPH, Bureau of Quality and Safety of Food, Department of Medical Sciences, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
authors.forename: Ladawan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chungsamanukool
authors.affiliation: Thailand MOPH, Bureau of Quality and Safety of Food, Department of Medical Sciences, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
authors.forename: Preecha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chungsamanukool
authors.affiliation: Thailand MOPH, National Institute of Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
authors.forename: Ratigorn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guntapong
authors.affiliation: Thailand MOPH, National Institute of Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
authors.forename: Chaiwat
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pulsrikarn
authors.affiliation: Thailand MOPH, Bureau of Quality and Safety of Food, Department of Medical Sciences, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
authors.forename: Ladapan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Saengklai
authors.affiliation: Thailand MOPH, National Institute of Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
authors.forename: Krongkaew
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Supawat
authors.affiliation: Thailand MOPH, National Institute of Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
authors.forename: Aree
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thattiyaphong
authors.affiliation: Thailand MOPH, Bureau of Quality and Safety of Food, Department of Medical Sciences, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
authors.forename: Duangdao
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wongsommart
authors.affiliation: Thailand MOPH, National Institute of Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
authors.forename: Wattanapong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wootta
authors.affiliation: IQLS (Integrated Quality Laboratory Services), Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Abdoulaye
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nikiema
authors.affiliation: IQLS (Integrated Quality Laboratory Services), Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pierson
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Leonard F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Peruski
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rayfield
keywords: International Health Regulations; Laboratory assessment; Thailand