The Art of Writing and Implementing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Laboratories in Low-Resource Settings: Review of Guidelines and Best Practices

Barbé, Barbara; Verdonck, Kristien; Mukendi, Déby; Lejon, Veerle; Kalo, Jean-Roger Lilo; Alirol, Emilie; Gillet, Philippe; Horié, Ninon S.; Ravinetto, Raffaella; Bottieau, Emmanuel; Yansouni, Cédric P.; Winkler, Andrea Sylvia; Loen, Harry van; Boelaert, Marleen; Lutumba, Pascal; Jacobs, Jan

doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005053

Cited by 41 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Secondly, the absence of a dedicated study team may have had an impact on the intensity and quality of blood culture sampling and laboratory work-up. The intensity and quality of blood culture surveillance were further challenged by the well-known technical, logistical an human resource constraints in a low-resource setting [34][35][36]. Thirdly, detailed clinical data were not registered as part of the surveillance.…”

Section: Limitations and Strengthsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-typhoidal Salmonella bloodstream infections in Kisantu, DR Congo: Emergence of O5-negative Salmonella Typhimurium and extensive drug resistance

et al. 2020

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Background Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) are a major cause of bloodstream infection (BSI) in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to assess its longitudinal evolution as cause of BSI, its serotype distribution and its antibiotic resistance pattern in Kisantu, DR Congo. Methods As part of a national surveillance network, blood cultures were sampled in patients with suspected BSI admitted to Kisantu referral hospital from 2015-2017. Blood cultures were worked-up according to international standards. Results were compared to similar data from 2007 onwards. Results In 2015-2017, NTS (n = 896) represented the primary cause of BSI. NTS were isolated from 7.6% of 11,764 suspected and 65.4% of 1371 confirmed BSI. In children <5 years, NTS accounted for 9.6% of suspected BSI. These data were in line with data from previous surveillance periods, except for the proportion of confirmed BSI, which was lower in previous surveillance periods. Salmonella Typhimurium accounted for 63.1% of NTS BSI and Salmonella Enteritidis for 36.4%. Of all Salmonella Typhimurium, 36.9% did not express the O5antigen (i.e. variant Copenhagen). O5-negative Salmonella Typhimurium were rare before PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

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Section: Limitations and Strengthsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-typhoidal Salmonella bloodstream infections in Kisantu, DR Congo: Emergence of O5-negative Salmonella Typhimurium and extensive drug resistance

et al. 2020

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“…The challenge regarding the involvement of multiple cultures in an organization is that symbols and concepts can be interpreted differently per culture. As a result, ensuring a unified understanding of documentation can be very difficult (Barbé et al, 2016).…”

Section: Procedures Quality Compliance and Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To enhance employee engagement in the use of documentation, Amare (2012) claims that an effective procedure is written with the input of every employee involved in the process. Individuals who participate in the process are positive to generate ideas, are more acceptive of the documentation and feel empowered in it.…”

Section: Procedures Quality Compliance and Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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When Compliance Checks are Just the Start of the Journey: an Aviation Case

Vré

Richardson

2019

MATEC Web Conf.

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Compliance with standards is assessed through internal and external audits, the findings of which are viewed as imperfections to be quickly repaired. A zero-findings mentality underlies companies that want to excel before the eyes of the authorities, customers, insurance companies and competitors. However, scholars and professionals over the last decades agree that compliance is a necessary but not sufficient condition for optimum system performance. The current study was initiated by a Ground Service Provider that in 2017 underwent an IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations and revealed several findings, especially in the documentation, such as missing parts, non-compliant material and lack of detail. Their goal was to pass the next audit without any findings within the documented procedures of six operational departments. To assess the audit documentation criteria, the researchers visited the operational departments, analysed 186 procedures, and conducted six semi-structured interviews with managers/supervisors and nine interviews with operational personnel. The analysis showed that all documents were properly controlled, but four departments had duplicated generic guidance material from 6% to 83% of the text checked. The interviewees claimed that understandability was not optimum due to language barriers and the non-tailoring of the content to their needs, leading to some staff disregarding manuals and consulting their supervisor instead. Other remarks included the long length of the documents, lack of knowledge of how to access online material, ignorance of the existence of documentation access points, and low technical accuracy. Overall, the results suggested room for improvement. Most importantly, through this research, the specific Ground Service Provider gained a better understanding behind non-compliance and had the opportunity to improve the quality and communication of its procedures. This study showed that even when compliance is the target, substantial improvement moves beyond box-ticking and engages employees in the revelation and mitigation of system imperfections.

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“…In the current issue of PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases , a collection of articles [4–8, 39]—mainly prepared in the style of symposia—is published, in which we would like to share experiences and lessons from the NIDIAG consortium that range from designing, setting up, implementing, and evaluating multiple clinical studies in partner countries in the global South. In this editorial, we provide an umbrella, discuss perceived challenges in the field of NTD research, and propose solutions on how these issues were overcome during the conduct of the NIDIAG studies.…”

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confidence: 99%