Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract ELIC2025465 (Poster 082) | Published: 04 Aug 2025
Chinelo Ebruke1,2,&, Teferi Mekonem3, Samba Diallo3, Juliana Ndasi3, Liliane Dayama1,2, Ali Sani1, Issiaka Sombie1, Abdourahmane Sow4, Olivier Manigart1,2
1West African Health Organisation, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, 2GFA Consulting Group, PROALAB, 3African Society for Laboratory Medicine, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 4Institut Pasteur, Dakar, Senegal
&Corresponding author: Chinelo Ebruke, West African Health Organisation, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, GFA Consulting Group – PROALAB, Hamburg, Germany. Email: Chinelo.Ebruke@gfa-group.de
Received: 31 May 2025, Accepted: 09 Jul 2025, Published: 04 Aug 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
This is part of the Proceedings of the ECOWAS 2nd Lassa fever International Conference in Abidjan, September 8 – 11, 2025
Keywords: QMS, SLIPTA, accreditation, mentorship, epidemic preparedness
©Chinelo Ebruke 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: Chinelo Ebruke et al., Strengthening laboratory quality management systems to support epidemic response: Progress from a regional program in West Africa. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc5):00226. https://doi.org/10.37432/jieph-confpro5-00226
Frequent outbreaks of Lassa fever and other infectious diseases in West Africa highlight the need for resilient laboratory systems that provide accurate and timely diagnostics. Weak laboratory quality management systems (QMS) undermine surveillance and response, leading to delays in diagnosis and suboptimal outbreak control. In response, West African Health Organization (WAHO) initiated a regional QMS strengthening program in 2018 to build sustainable capacity and improve accreditation readiness across ECOWAS countries. The objective of this study is to assess improvements in QMS implementation among regional and national reference laboratories, and to identify key success factors and persistent challenges.
The program, implemented by WAHO in partnership with the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), followed a six-step approach across nine countries. It began with training of SLIPTA auditors/mentors to form a regional coaching network. Baseline SLIPTA assessments were conducted to identify quality gaps, raise awareness, and engage stakeholders. Trained mentors provided on-site coaching and targeted trainings addressed commonly observed deficiencies. Annual SLIPTA audits and feedback loops enabled continuous progress monitoring. Finally, regional meetings facilitated results sharing, peer learning, and motivation among laboratory directors. Progress was measured using SLIPTA scores and accreditation status.
At baseline, 95.7% (22/23) of laboratories were rated 0–2 stars, with none accredited. By 2024, 75.0% (18/24) of laboratories had progressed to 3–5 stars, with five achieving full accreditation. These improvements were driven by strong laboratory leadership, committed staff, mentorship, peer motivation, and sustained technical and financial support. Key challenges included limited staffing and high turnover, infrastructural and resource limitations, and gaps in equipment calibration services.
This program has led to measurable improvements in laboratory quality, enhancing epidemic preparedness and response capacities. Continued investment, national ownership, and tailored support to underperforming labs are critical to achieving equitable and sustained quality improvements across the region.
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