UTILISING THE MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNICAL STAFFS EXPERIENCES AND PERCEPTIONS TO ASSESS PERFORMANCE OF BOTSWANAS PUBLIC MEDICAL LABORATORIES-A CASE STUDY

Background Accurate and reliable clinical laboratory testing is a critical component of a public health approach to disease management in sub-Saharan Africa. Lack of documented causes of suboptimal public medical laboratories hinders the design of impactful interventions for a sustained high performing medical laboratory system. Medical laboratory personnel are instrumental in identifying causes of poor performance of medical laboratories for evidence-based interventions. Objectives The aim of the study was to utilise Botswana government employed medical laboratory personnel’s experiences and perceptions to assess the status of Botswana’s public medical laboratory system against the modified President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Site Improvement Through Monitoring system version 4.2 assessment tool. MethodsThis exploratory convenient sampling study drew insights from 16 medical laboratory personnel from the Botswana’s Greater Gaborone District Health Management Team public medical laboratories who responded to the self-administered questionnaire and semi-structured interview which targeted two key-informants from Ministry of Health. Data was collected from 11-28 September 2023. The questionnaire results were utilized to guide the interview design. The questionnaire data was analysed using Microsoft Excel, interview data was analysed using the reflective Thematic Analysis. ResultsThe study highlighted the following eight priority areas as key to a strengthened laboratory service: national policy and strategy, equitable funding and support, capacity building, refined workflow, multiplexing, monitoring and evaluation strategy, contract management, equipment standardization. Conclusion Laboratory personnel possessed a wealth of knowledge and experience that provided gaps in medical laboratory service and contribute valuably to the direction of future interventions for laboratory strengthening and optimal service delivery.