The Africa Institute of Healthcare Quality Safety & Accreditation (AfIHQSA) and the Quality and Accreditation Institute (QAI) in India have completed a professional training course for Laboratory Scientists in Accra per ISO 15189:2012 requirements.
The AfIHQSA-QAI training in Quality Management System and Internal Auditor spanned eight days, from October 17 to 24, 2021, and involved virtual three-hour sessions each day.
In all 19 health professionals from 9 facilities participated in the professional course.
Participants, as part of the programme are expected to undertake six weeks of practical fieldwork in any medical laboratory of their choice to undertake an internal audit using an adapted checklist of the ISO 15189:2012 standards and produce a report.
In a concept paper on the course, AfIHQSA and QAI said it is important for the Quality Manager of a Medical Laboratory or any Laboratory Scientist who is interested in improving medical laboratory outcomes to get trained in a course that covers Quality Management Systems and Internal Auditing.
The course, according to the two training institutions is equally useful for:
- Laboratory Scientists
- Pathologists
- Medical Directors
- Microbiologists
- Biochemists
- Technicians working in medical laboratories
- Healthcare Managers
- Quality Managers
- Clinical, industrial and academics with interest in medical laboratory are also invited to attend
- Other stakeholders in health interested in quality and safety of medical laboratories
Participants who completed the course shared the following as learning outcomes:
- Appreciate my role and ability to advance patient safety through medical diagnostics
- Understand the fundamentals of healthcare quality & safety
- Understanding and interpretation of the requirements of the standards
- Identify documents and records required by ISO 15189
- Understanding of a risk management plan
- Understanding of auditing principles
- Knowledge of internal auditing process including planning
- How to perform an internal audit
- Compose audit findings
- Preparation of audit report, follow-up and closing the loop
- Characteristics of an effective internal auditor
- Provide the appropriate leadership for improved care outcomes.
Facilitators of the programme include Prof BK Rana, the first expert on ISO 15189 from India; Dr Gilbert Buckle, a Public Health Physician and Consultant in Health Systems; Raymond Donbezier Fatchu, Director of Frayd Consulting; and Elom Hillary Otchi, Technical Director of AfIHQSA.