Competence of Laboratory Practitioners on Malaria Microscopy and Associated Factors in Moshi Municipality, North-eastern Tanzania

Accurate detection and confirmation of malaria parasites require good-quality microscopy. Low-quality microscopy can result in incorrect diagnoses and, hence, ineffective treatments. Several factors, including the skills of laboratory personnel, influence the quality of malaria microscopy, posing challenges in malaria diagnosis. The present study assessed the competence of medical laboratory practitioners in malaria microscopy and associated factors in selected health facilities in Moshi Municipality, Tanzania. A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2024, where 147 laboratory practitioners from 45 health facilities in Moshi Municipality were included in the study. Six standardized External Quality Assessment malaria slides were distributed to each health facility. Individual laboratory practitioners in each facility had a choice to read only one of the slides. The competence of laboratory practitioners in malaria microscopy in this study was measured by the accuracy of detection and quantification of malaria parasites. Multiple logistic regression was performed to determine factors associated with good performance in malaria microscopy, where the odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval were reported. All variables with p-values <0.05 were considered significant. A total of 147 laboratory practitioners participated, and the accuracy of malaria parasite detection and quantification was 46.2% and 36%, respectively. Malaria microscopy training showed an association with the accuracy of malaria slide reading with COR=3.437 (CI=1.681-7.031), p-value=0.001, AOR=2.669 (CI=1.217-5.855), p-value=0.014. Our study results show a low level of proficiency in malaria microscopy among laboratory practitioners in Moshi Municipality. Our study results show a low level of proficiency in malaria microscopy among laboratory practitioners in Moshi Municipality. Refresher training in malaria microscopy could improve the performance of the laboratory practitioners for the detection and quantification of malaria parasites.