Conference Abstract | Volume 9, Abstract 079 (ConfProc7) | Published: 13 Aug 2026
Lawrence Atsu Dzata1,&, Oksana Ryabinina2, Franklin Duncan Sylvester Adjato3, Bernard Nkrumah4, Felix Kodzo Sorvor5
1Ankaful Public Health Laboratory, Ghana Health Service, Cape Coast, Ghana, 2School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana, 3Hohoe Public Health Laboratory, Ghana Health Service, Hohoe, Ghana, 4African Field Epidemiology Network, Accra, Ghana, 5National TB Control Programme, Korle-Bu, Ghana
&Corresponding author: Lawrence Atsu Dzata, Ankaful Public Health Laboratory, Ghana Health Service, Cape Coast, Ghana, Email: larrydzat@yahoo.com
Received: 29 Aug 2025, Accepted: 28 Oct 2025, Published: 13 Aug 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Tuberculosis, Standard operating procedure, Ghana Health Service, Specimen management
©Lawrence Atsu Dzata et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Lawrence Atsu Dzata et al. Assessing compliance with sputum specimen management protocols in Mfantseman Municipality, June 2025. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfProc7):079. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO7-0079
Tuberculosis remains a major public health challenge in Ghana, with accurate diagnosis relying on the quality of sputum specimens. Despite existing national guidelines, adherence to sputum specimen management protocols is inconsistent, especially in peripheral health facilities. This study assessed the preparedness and compliance of referring facilities in Mfantseman Municipality with the National Tuberculosis Control Programme’s (NTP) sputum management standards.
A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between January and June 2025 in five facilities with the highest sputum submissions. Approximately 20 healthcare workers directly involved in sputum management participated and were interviewed using structured questionnaires. Facility practices were evaluated using an observational checklist adapted from the NTP and the Africa Society of Laboratory Medicine guidelines. Data were analyzed in STATA 17 using descriptive statistics.
There were 20 healthcare workers with equal male to female ratio. Staff knowledge was generally high (median score: 80%) but misconceptions about storage and transport conditions existed in all facilities. Only one facility had a functional refrigerator with none having standard operating procedures (SOP) for cold chain management. Three facilities (60%) adhered to correct specimen handling, while key biosafety measures were lacking in all facilities.
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