Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Nkengasong, John N
• Yao, Katy
• Onyebujoh, Philip

Titel

Laboratory medicine in low-income and middle-income countries: progress and challenges

Ist Teil von

• The Lancet (British edition), 2018-05, Vol.391 (10133), p.1873-1875

Ort / Verlag

England: Elsevier Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2018

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Laboratory medicine is essential for disease detection, surveillance, control, and management.1 However, access to quality-assured laboratory diagnosis has been a challenge in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) resulting in delayed or inaccurate diagnosis and ineffective treatment with consequences for patient safety.1 In the new Lancet Series2–4 on pathology and laboratory medicine (PALM) in LMICs, Michael Wilson and colleagues2 provide a comprehensive analysis of the challenges and gaps that limit access to PALM services. Some of the challenges include the absence of essential infrastructure, laboratory supplies, basic equipment, skilled personnel, supply chain management, and equipment maintenance; reliance on empirical treatment; inadequate quality management systems; and no government standards for laboratory testing. A laboratory medicine leadership programme, similar to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Field Epidemiology Training Program,12 will provide an opportunity to enhance collaboration between clinicians and laboratorians.