ArticleAfrican journal of laboratory medicine
Evidence from 617 laboratories in 47 countries for SLMTA-driven improvement in quality management systems.
Article in African journal of laboratory medicine. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed.
- Implementing laboratory quality management systems in Ghana: A quality audit of accreditation readiness in clinical and public health laboratories (2021-2023).African journal of laboratory medicine · 2026Article
- From Establishment to ISO15189:2012 Accreditation: The Case of Hararghe Health Research Laboratory, Harar, Ethiopia.EJIFCC · 2025Article
- Impact of accreditation on health care services performance in Kiryandongo district, Uganda: a longitudinal study.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Preparedness of district clinical laboratories towards ISO 15189: 2012 accreditation scheme in Lake Zone, Tanzania (a descriptive cross-sectional study).The Pan African medical journal · 2022Article
- Quality assurance practices in tuberculosis diagnostic health facilities in Ethiopia.PloS one · 2022Article
- Implementing an intensified mentorship approach towards accelerated medical laboratory accreditation in 10 counties in Kenya.African journal of laboratory medicine · 2022Article
- Implementation of a customised antimicrobial resistance laboratory scorecard in Cameroon, Ethiopia and Kenya.African journal of laboratory medicine · 2022Article
- From benchmarking to best practices: Lessons from the laboratory quality improvement programme at the military teaching hospital in Cotonou, Benin.African journal of laboratory medicine · 2021Article
- Clinical Referral Laboratory Personnel's Perception of Challenges and Strategies for Sustaining the Laboratory Quality Management System.American journal of clinical pathology · 2019Article
- Diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection.Clinical microbiology reviews · 2019Review
- Laboratory medicine in Africa since 2008: then, now, and the future.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2018Review
- Clinical Referral Laboratories in Rwanda.American journal of clinical pathology · 2018Article
- Building and Rebuilding: The National Public Health Laboratory Systems and Services Before and After the Earthquake and Cholera Epidemic, Haiti, 2009-2015.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2017Article
- Rapid Ascent From Zero Quality to International Organization for Standardization Accreditation: A Case Study of Hai Duong Preventive Medicine Center in Vietnam, 2012-2013.American journal of clinical pathology · 2017Article
- Developing a customised approach for strengthening tuberculosis laboratory quality management systems toward accreditation.African journal of laboratory medicine · 2017Article
- Implementing SLMTA in the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service: lessons learned.African journal of laboratory medicine · 2017Article
- Implementation research: a mentoring programme to improve laboratory quality in Cambodia.Bulletin of the World Health Organization · 2016Article
- External quality assurance for HIV point-of-care testing in Africa: A collaborative country-partner approach to strengthen diagnostic services.African journal of laboratory medicine · 2016Article
- Quality assurance for point-of-care testing in Mozambique's National Health Service.African journal of laboratory medicine · 2016Article
- Are post-Ebola reconstruction efforts neglecting public health laboratory systems?The Lancet. Global health · 2015Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme is a large-scale effort to improve the quality of laboratories in resource-limited countries.
objectivesThis study sought to evaluate the first four years (2010-2013) of SLMTA implementation.
methodsCountry-level data were submitted by SLMTA programme leads and compiled globally. Performance was measured before (baseline) and after (exit) SLMTA implementation using an audit checklist which results in a percentage score and a rating of zero to five stars. Some laboratories continued to monitor performance in post-exit surveillance audits. We evaluated score improvements using two-tailed
resultsSLMTA was implemented in 617 laboratories in 47 countries in Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and Southeast Asia. At the baseline audit, the laboratories scored an average of 39% on the checklist and 84% of them were rated below one star. As of December 2013, 302 laboratories had completed the SLMTA programme; mean checklist scores increased from 39% at baseline to 64% at exit (
conclusionSLMTA has transformed the laboratory landscape in resource-limited countries worldwide and has the potential to make a substantial and sustainable impact on the quality of laboratory testing and patient care.
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Registered trials
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