title: How do laboratory technicians perceive their role in the tuberculosis diagnostic process? A cross-sectional study among laboratory technicians in health centers of Central Java Province, Indonesia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Detection of acid-fast bacilli in respiratory specimens serves as an initial pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis. Laboratories are the essential and fundamental part of all health systems. This study aimed to describe how laboratory technicians perceived their own self and work. This included perceived self-efficacy, perceived role, perceived equipment availability, perceived procedures, perceived reward and job, and perceived benefit of health education, as well as level of knowledge and attitudes related to work performance of laboratory technicians.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional quantitative study involving 120 laboratory technicians conducted in Central Java. Interviews and observation were conducted to measure performance and work-related variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 120 laboratory technicians, 43.3% showed fairly good performance. They complied with 50%-75% of all procedures, including sputum collection, laboratory tools utilization, sputum smearing, staining, smear examination, grading of results, and universal precaution practice. Perceived role, perceived self-efficacy, and knowledge of laboratory procedures were significantly correlated to performance, besides education and years of working as a laboratory technician. Perceived equipment availability was also significantly correlated to performance after the education variable was controlled.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of the laboratory technicians believed that they have an important role in TB patients' treatment and should display proper self-efficacy in performing laboratory activities. The result may serve as a basic consideration to develop a policy for enhancing motivation of laboratory technicians in order to improve the TB control program.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Education and Behavior Sciences, Faculty of Public Health, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia.
authors.forename: Bagoes
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Widjanarko
authors.affiliation: Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, Salaya, Thailand.
authors.forename: Dyah Anantalia
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Widyastari
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia.
authors.forename: Martini
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia.
authors.forename: Praba
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ginandjar
keywords: laboratory technicians; perceived job; perceived reward; perceived role; perceived self-efficacy; tuberculosis