Title |
Developing standards for malaria microscopy: external competency assessment for malaria microscopists in the Asia-Pacific
|
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Published in |
Malaria Journal, October 2012
|
DOI | 10.1186/1475-2875-11-352 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Sania Ashraf, Angie Kao, Cecilia Hugo, Eva M Christophel, Bayo Fatunmbi, Jennifer Luchavez, Ken Lilley, David Bell |
Abstract |
Malaria diagnosis has received renewed interest in recent years, associated with the increasing accessibility of accurate diagnosis through the introduction of rapid diagnostic tests and new World Health Organization guidelines recommending parasite-based diagnosis prior to anti-malarial therapy. However, light microscopy, established over 100 years ago and frequently considered the reference standard for clinical diagnosis, has been neglected in control programmes and in the malaria literature and evidence suggests field standards are commonly poor. Microscopy remains the most accessible method for parasite quantitation, for drug efficacy monitoring, and as a reference of assessing other diagnostic tools. This mismatch between quality and need highlights the importance of the establishment of reliable standards and procedures for assessing and assuring quality. This paper describes the development, function and impact of a multi-country microscopy external quality assurance network set up for this purpose in Asia. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Unknown | 1 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Scientists | 1 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 56 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Master | 11 | 20% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 9 | 16% |
Researcher | 8 | 14% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 7 | 13% |
Student > Bachelor | 3 | 5% |
Other | 9 | 16% |
Unknown | 9 | 16% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 14 | 25% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 7 | 13% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 5 | 9% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 4 | 7% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 3 | 5% |
Other | 10 | 18% |
Unknown | 13 | 23% |