Abstract
BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) control programmes rely heavily on laboratories to support both clinical care and public health. Qualified personnel with adequate technical and managerial skills comprise an integral component of any quality assured laboratory. Training a new generation of TB laboratory specialists was identified as a critical priority in the European Union /European Economic Area (EU/EEA). A tailored training programme for TB reference laboratory professionals was developed and implemented within the European Reference Laboratory Network for Tuberculosis to increase the pool of technical experts available to step into leadership roles in the TB laboratory community. Three cohorts of selected laboratory specialists participated in a series of trainings from 2009 to 2016.MethodsWe conducted an evaluation of the training programme using a structured questionnaire administered via the EUSurvey website, with the aim of documenting the benefits and contribution as well as suggesting improvements and future direction of the programme. All graduated participants and all current ERLTB-Net members were invited to participate in the online survey and descriptive quantitative analysis was performed.ResultsThe evaluation found significant benefits for both the participants and the participants’ institutions, with improvements being reported in laboratory practices and management including implementation of new diagnostic techniques and career progression for participants. The training programme differed from other international and European initiatives in a number of important ways; the curriculum is unique in the scope and range of topics covered; the programme targets senior level professionals and future directors; cohorts were limited to 8–10 participants; and the programme involved a number of workshops (5–7) taking place over a two-year period. Relationships and collaborations established between individuals and institutions were valued as an important success of the initiative. Suggestions on how the impact of the programme could be enhanced included equipping participants to perform laboratory assessments in low-resource settings outside the EU, thus bolstering global TB control.ConclusionBased on the findings presented the training programme has proved to be successful in developing leadership, expertise, partnerships and networks to support TB laboratories and has contributed significant benefits to strengthening European National Reference laboratories in the fight against TB.
Highlights
Tuberculosis (TB) control programmes rely heavily on laboratories to support both clinical care and public health
Of the 18 participants, 15 (84%) were employed at a National Reference Laboratory (NRL) at the time of application while 2 (11%) were working at a Supra- National Reference Laboratory (SNRL) and one respondent worked at a clinical laboratory
The majority of applicants had some knowledge about the training programme prior to application, with 88% reporting that the institution in which they worked was a member of the network, and/or they had colleagues who had already participated in the training programme
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) control programmes rely heavily on laboratories to support both clinical care and public health. Qualified personnel with adequate technical and managerial skills comprise an integral component of any quality assured laboratory. Laboratories are complex systems comprising many components including infrastructure, equipment and technologies. Vital to their operation are the human resources and the systems that manage the processes and implement the standards to produce reliable, accurate and actionable results [10]. Successful implementation of new and innovative diagnostic tests and technologies requires functional networks of laboratories with trained and motivated staff, robust quality management systems (QMS) and safe working environments. A lack of personnel with advanced technical skills has been reported in many settings as a major obstacle to performing complex laboratory tests [5]
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