External quality assessment of malaria microscopy diagnosis in selected health facilities in Western Oromia, Ethiopia

• Published in: Malaria Journal
• Main Authors: Getachew Sori, Olifan Zewdie, Geletta Tadele, Abdi Samuel
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2018
• Subjects: External quality assessment; Malaria microscopy; Western Oromia; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-018-2386-2; https://doaj.org/article/f68ec8503d8644b29d2c1a9b0d788a16

Abstract Background Accurate early diagnosis and prompt treatment are one of the key strategies to control and prevent malaria disease. External quality assessment is the most effective method for evaluation of the quality of malaria microscopy diagnosis. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of malaria microscopy diagnosis and its associated factors in selected public health facility laboratories in East Wollega Zone, Western Ethiopia. Methods Facility-based cross-sectional study design was conducted in 30 randomly selected public health facility laboratories from November 2014 to January 2015 in East Wollega Zone, Western Ethiopia. Ten validated stained malaria panel slides with known Plasmodium species, developmental stage and parasite density were distributed. Data were captured; cleaned and analyzed using SPSS version 20 statistical software-multivariate logistic regressions and the agreement in reading between the peripheral diagnostic centers and the reference laboratory were done using kappa statistics. Results A total of 30 health facility laboratories were involved in the study and the overall quality of malaria microscopy diagnosis was poor (62.3%). The associated predictors of quality in this diagnosis were in-service training [(AOR = 16, 95% CI (1.3, 1.96)], smearing quality [(AOR = 24, 95% CI (1.8, 3.13)], staining quality [(AOR = 15, 95% CI (2.35, 8.61), parasite detection [(AOR = 9, 95% CI (1.1, 8.52)] and identification skills [(AOR = 8.6, 95% CI (1.21, 1.63)]. Eighteen (60%) of health facility laboratories had in-service trained laboratory professionals on malaria microscopy diagnosis. Conclusion Overall quality of malaria microscopy diagnosis was poor and a significant gap in this service was observed that could impact on its diagnostic services.