Challenges and solutions for instituting an efficient maintenance program for laboratory equipment in Central Asian, and developing world, countries

• Authors: Riza Ikranbegiin, World Health Organization; George Schmid, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; David Hoos, Columbia University; Andrew Young, Grady Memorial Hospital; Phyllis Della-Latta, Columbia University; Paul Spearman, Emory University; Artur Ramos, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Bereket Alemayehu, Columbia University; Begaiym Achmetova, Columbia University; Gulzhan Nauryzova, Almaty AIDS Center; Adilya Albetkova, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Journal Title: BMC Public Health
• Volume: Volume 19
• Publisher: BMC (part of Springer Nature) | 2019-05-10
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6782-5
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Public Health; Biology, Microbiology
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; SYSTEMS

Abstract

We review the current state of quality assurance in laboratories of the five Central Asia Republics (CARs), focusing on laboratory equipment, and compare quality assurance approaches with CLSI standards. The laboratories of the CARs faced exceptional challenges including highly-structured laboratory systems that retain centralized and outmoded Soviet-era approaches to quality assurance, considerably jeopardizing the validity of laboratory tests. The relative isolation of the CARs, based on geography and almost exclusive use of the Russian language, further hamper change. CARs must make high-level government decisions to widely implement quality assurance programs within their laboratory systems, within which approaches to the management of laboratory equipment will be a prominent part.