Improving Laboratory Continuous Professional Development Training in Africa: The ASLM Academy Experience

To examine the uptake rates of the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) Academy Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programmes training courses by laboratory professionals within the African region and explore factors influencing participation.

This study analysed the electronic training programmes data of the ASLM Academy to describe the implementation of the CPD courses and profile their uptake by laboratory professionals in Africa. The study population consisted of training records of individuals who enrolled in CPD courses offered by the ASLM Academy and those who participated in the weekly 1-2 hourly virtual webinars during the 2020-2024 period.

By predicted gender, the majority of individuals were males (69%, n = 3169) with the majority (39%, n = 2805) being from East Africa. Most individuals (48%, n = 2092) were from government institutions, and the majority of individuals (89%, n = 3169) had taken 1-4 ASLM CPD trainings. Gender was not significantly associated with course participation (χ² = 6.68, p = 0.083). ASLM membership showed a strong association (χ² = 280.7, p < 0.001), with members more likely to take a higher number of courses. Among the 621 participants who had taken modular courses, certification rates differed significantly by course type (χ² = 17.15, p < 0.001), with the SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Diagnostic course having the highest proportion of certified participants (56.7%). ASLM members were more likely to be certified than non-members (χ² = 15.46, p < 0.001). Regional differences were also significant (χ² = 19.69, p < 0.001), with the East African region having the highest participation (39.3%).

The uptake of ASLM Academy CPD training courses was predominantly from laboratory scientists and individuals from government institutions. Being an ASLM member was the main factor that significantly influenced individuals' participation in many CPD training courses offered by the ASLM Academy.