Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfProc7): Abstract 085 | Published: 05 Oct 2026
Eric Aryee1,&, Josephine Afi Nukpedu Banini2, Gifty Boateng3, Richard Kutame3, Bernard Nkrumah4, Oksana Ryabinina5
1Madina Polyclinic-Kekele, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana, 2Ashaiman Municipal Hospital, Ghana Health Service, Ashaiman, Ghana, 3National Public Health and Reference Laboratory, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana, 4African Field Epidemiology Network, Accra, Ghana, 5School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
&Corresponding author: Eric N.O. Aryee, Madina Polyclinic-Kekele, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana, Email: ricus74@yahoo.com
Received: 29 Aug 2025, Accepted: 28 Oct 2025, Published: 05 Oct 2026
Domain: Laboratory Systems Strengthening
This is part of the Proceedings of the 8th Ghana FELTP Scientific Conference and FELTP Competency Graduation, Accra, Ghana, 10 – 11 December, 2025
Keywords: Leadership Training, Quality Management Systems, Laboratory capacity building, Ghana
©Eric Aryee 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: Eric Aryee et al. Assessing the training needs of medical laboratory leaders in Ghana: Insights from a resource-limited setting- May, 2025. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfProc7):085. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO7-0085
Medical laboratory leaders (MLLs) are vital to the quality and efficiency of health laboratory services, especially in resource-limited settings. Despite their key role in implementing health policies and quality standards, many lack formal leadership and management training. Limited access to professional development opportunities further constrains their performance. This study assessed the leadership competencies and training needs of laboratory leaders in Ghana to inform targeted capacity-building interventions.
A mixed-methods approach was employed, enrolling MLLs nationwide through structured questionnaires. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted at facility, regional, and national levels. Quantitative data on demographics and experience were analyzed descriptively, while qualitative responses were thematically analyzed across domains including strategic leadership, quality management systems (QMS), emergency preparedness, data use, and resource management.
Of 315 respondents, 212 were eligible for analysis. Most were male 175 (82.6%), aged 30–39 years and had 4–6 years of work experience. A total of 154 (73.1%) of facility level MLL reported having no formal training in leadership or management. Key responsibilities included quality assurance 198 (92.0%) and staff supervision 178 (83.6%). While over 190 (90.0%) expressed confidence in decision-making and staff motivation, structured communication and crisis preparedness were weak 20 (9.4%). Leadership 173 (81.6%) and quality management 171 (80.7%), were the top training needs at all levels. Competence in policy implementation 193 (91.0%) and budget management 177 (83.5%) were high, but only 49 (23.1%) felt confident in managing laboratory budgets and resources effectively. Only 39 (18.4%) were current on advancement in laboratory technology and techniques.
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