Evaluation of the quality of malaria diagnosis by optical microscopy in provincial laboratories of the Republic of Angola

摘要

Introduction: malaria continues to be one of the main public health problems worldwide, severely affecting the African continent. Objective: evaluate the level of theoretical and practical competence in the diagnosis of malaria achieved by a group of technicians engaged in this activity. Methods: an evaluative quasi-experimental study was conducted from 2010 to 2012 in 14 provincial laboratories from the 18 provinces of the Republic of Angola, where 243 technicians received training in the field of malaria diagnosis. Training extended for 10 days (70 hours) based on a syllabus which included theoretical and practical lessons as well as an initial and a final evaluation. Results: a post-training evaluation conducted in 14 provinces showed a significant decrease in the number of technicians failing their theoretical and practical tests (p0.01). Conclusions: this is the first evaluation carried out in Angola in which qualitative and quantitative improvement is observed both in the theoretical knowledge and the practical skills of technicians after receiving training or retraining. It is also a first step in an effort to improve the quality of malaria diagnosis in the country.