An opportunity for strengthening laboratories and health systems in the region. Diagnostics and Laboratory capacity are essential but often ignored pillars of both a responsive health system and effective global health security. The Coronavirus pandemic has, more starkly than ever before, highlighted the critical importance of accurate, reliable and timely laboratory testing for diagnosis, patient
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An Oxymoron? Over the years there has been considerable grumbling about the cost of a LIMS to the point that LIMS vendors have often been vilified and equated with some of the worst thieves and scoundrels in history. Even though it was commonly accepted that it does cost quite a lot to develop, enhance, maintain,
read moreTop 4 Reasons LIMS Implementations Fail Implementing a new LIMS can be a huge challenge. There are so many aspects to consider and moving parts to manage that LIMS implementations can and sometimes do fail. The reasons why they fail vary widely but the fact remains that a failed LIMS implementation can be a financial
read moreThe Caribbean region faces a heavy burden of Non-Communicable diseases and has therefore placed high priority on addressing these conditions. Click the following link from the World Health Organisation for NCD profiles of individual Caribbean countries. http://www.who.int/nmh/countries/en/
read moreSelf-assessment Approach to Laboratory Gap Analyses is Cost-Effective Title Using a Self-assessment Approach to Conducting Laboratory Gap-analyses in Resource- constrained Environments is Cost-effective, Motivational and a Strategic Competency Development Approach Wendy Kitson-Piggott and Valerie Wilson Caribbean Med Labs Foundation Background The Caribbean Med Labs Foundation (CMLF) is an indigenous Caribbean NGO established in 2008 to
read moreCaribbean Laboratories A Rich Source of Information for Clinical and Public Health Decisions The Caribbean Med Labs Foundation, under its PANCAP Global Fund grant, conducted a situation assessment which found that the impact of medical and public health laboratories in the Caribbean can be substantially improved by enhancing their capacity to organise, analyse and communicate
read moreFor regional projects to strengthen laboratory operations to succeed there must be active and supportive partnerships between implementing entities and policy-makers within Ministries of Health and CARICOM. This is the major finding of a review of Laboratory Strengthening Regional Projects which the Caribbean Med Labs Foundation conducted in 2012, under the PANCAP global Fund grant.
read moreOver the past two decades, significant resources have been invested in the improvement of Caribbean medical and public health laboratory systems, structures and services. To date, however, limited focus has been placed on the generation of scientific evidence to support the many interventions. As we seek to improve laboratory services across the Caribbean, it becomes
read moreWe all accept errors do occur in our laboratories. But we may not be aware that an approach to error-classification and correction has been widely accepted. Error in the laboratory is defined as deviation or variance from the truth or from an accepted, expected, true or reference value. Sources of Variance SOURCES of Variance that
read moreLaboratory Error Medical laboratories are at the hub of the information flow within the health care system. Evidence-based medical guidelines are being increasingly implemented in medical institutions and laboratory results are used to both classify patient risk and guide medical decisions. Internationally, Laboratory results are estimated to influence up to 75-80 % of all
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