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Evaluation of an external quality assessment program for HIV testing in Haiti, 2006-2011
Frantz Jean Louis1, Renette Anselme, Clement Ndongmo
1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Embassy, Tabarre 41, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; yjeanlouis@cdc.gov.
Objectives:
To evaluate an external quality assessment (EQA) program for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) rapid diagnostics testing by the Haitian National Public Health Laboratory (French acronym: LNSP). Acceptable performance was defined as any proficiency testing (PT) score more than 80%.
Methods:
The PT database was reviewed and analyzed to assess the testing performance of the participating laboratories and the impact of the program over time. A total of 242 laboratories participated in the EQA program from 2006 through 2011; participation increased from 70 laboratories in 2006 to 159 in 2011.
Results:
In 2006, 49 (70%) laboratories had a PT score of 80% or above; by 2011, 145 (97.5%) laboratories were proficient (P < .05).
Conclusions:
The EQA program for HIV testing ensures quality of testing and allowed the LNSP to document improvements in the quality of HIV rapid testing over time.
