Conference Abstract | Volume 9, Abstract 076 (ConfProc7) | Published: 13 Aug 2026
Ebenezer Benefo1,&, George Osei1, Oduro Yaw-Poku1, Gloria Asare Baffour1, Jennifer El-Duah1, George Khumalo Kuma2, Oksana Ryabinina3
1Sunyani Teaching Hospital, Ministry of Health, Ghana, 2Ghana Health Service, Bono Regional Health Directorate, Sunyani, Ghana, 3Department of Chemical Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Ghana
&Corresponding author: Ebenezer Benefo, Sunyani Teaching Hospital, Ministry of Health, Ghana, Email: benefo202@gmail.com
Received: 29 Aug 2025, Accepted: 28 Oct 2025, Published: 13 Aug 2026
Domain: Laboratory Systems Strengthening
Keywords: Equipment management, Quality improvement, Preventive maintenance, ISO 15189:2022
©Ebenezer Benefo 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: Ebenezer Benefo et al. Strengthening equipment management at Sunyani Teaching Hospital of Ghana: Aligning Practices with International Standards. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfProc7):076. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO7-0076
Reliable laboratory results depends on well-maintained equipment and effective management systems. The Sunyani Teaching Hospital (STH) Laboratory had experienced gaps in equipment maintenance, documentation, and traceability, resulting in poor audit outcomes. This project aimed to strengthen the equipment management system in line with ISO 15189:2022 standards.
A mixed-method quality improvement approach was used. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for equipment management were revised, and an adverse event reporting process was introduced. Prior to approval, the laboratory quality team validated these documents to verify that they meet all requirements and are fit for their intended purpose. A comprehensive equipment inventory was completed, and a one-day training session was conducted for 38 laboratory staff on the updated SOPs. Knowledge improvement was assessed through pre- and post-training evaluations.
Completion of the equipment inventory rose from 65% to 100%. Staff knowledge scores improved by 34% following training. On average, participants’ scores improved by 9.19 points (95% CI: –10.48 to –7.90), representing an increase of nearly 39 percentage points (from 41.7% to 80.6%). The revised SOPs were approved and incorporated into the Quality Management System (QMS), establishing clear procedures for preventive maintenance, documentation, and incident reporting. Early post-implementation reviews showed better compliance with ISO 15189:2022 equipment management requirements and increased staff accountability.
Strengthening the equipment management system at STH Laboratory improved compliance with ISO 15189:2022, enhanced staff competence, and created a sustainable framework for maintenance and reporting. These improvements contribute to greater equipment reliability and higher overall laboratory quality.
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