OBJECTIVES: As part of the ISO 15189:2007 accreditation process, the Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi laboratory became the first internationally accredited hospital laboratory in sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa in 2011 through the South Africa National Accreditation System. METHODS: Seven preanalytic, 10 analytic, eight postanalytic, and five administrative performance parameters were monitored from 2009 to 2012 to measure the impact of the accreditation process. RESULTS: Most measures in all four categories showed substantial improvement. The seven preanalytic measures all showed major improvement-between a quarter and a half sigma. Real but less dramatic improvement appeared in analytic and postanalytic measures, but greater than one sigma decrease in analytic "procedure violations" and a three-quarter sigma decrease in excessive turnaround time were noted in these categories. Administrative improvements included dramatic decreases in misdirected and missing reports and complaints. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the correlation of the accreditation process with improvement in quality measures in a low-resource region.
OBJECTIVES: As part of the ISO 15189:2007 accreditation process, the Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi laboratory became the first internationally accredited hospital laboratory in sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa in 2011 through the South Africa National Accreditation System. METHODS: Seven preanalytic, 10 analytic, eight postanalytic, and five administrative performance parameters were monitored from 2009 to 2012 to measure the impact of the accreditation process. RESULTS: Most measures in all four categories showed substantial improvement. The seven preanalytic measures all showed major improvement-between a quarter and a half sigma. Real but less dramatic improvement appeared in analytic and postanalytic measures, but greater than one sigma decrease in analytic "procedure violations" and a three-quarter sigma decrease in excessive turnaround time were noted in these categories. Administrative improvements included dramatic decreases in misdirected and missing reports and complaints. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the correlation of the accreditation process with improvement in quality measures in a low-resource region.
Keywords:
ISO 15189:2007; Medical laboratory accreditation; Quality improvement; South Africa National Accreditation System; Sub-Saharan Africa; Three-phased model
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