The Knowledge and Attitude of Medical Laboratory Technologists in the Southern Province on Medical Laboratory Accreditation

Abstract

Accreditation is a procedure by which an authoritative body gives formal recognition that an organization is competent to carry out specific tasks. The general objective of this study was to study the knowledge and attitudes of medical laboratory technologists in both government and private sector laboratories in the Southern Province towards quality laboratory essentials and the accreditation process. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using self-administered, pre-tested questionnaires with the participation of 52 medical laboratory technologists in the Southern Province, Sri Lanka. The results were analyzed using SPSS software version 21.Study participants who obtained scores of less than 50%. 50-75%, 75-90%, and more than 90% for the knowledge score were categorized as poor, average, good, and excellent, respectively. Themean (SD) knowledge score among the participants was 40.33(29.35). The Medical Laboratory Technologists’ attitudes towards laboratory accreditation were satisfactory. Among the study participants, 82.69% (n=43) are of the view that medical laboratories should be accredited. However, several misunderstandings regarding the same aspect were observed. The study concluded that the overall knowledge of MLTs on medical laboratory accreditation is not satisfactory. The study was conducted in and around Galle. Therefore we assume that knowledge scores will be poorer among the MLTs who work in the rural laboratories since they possess less opportunity for participation in continuous education, compared to those working for urban employers. However, the overall attitudes of Medical Laboratory Technologists regarding accreditation is satisfactory. The value of educational and training programs on medical laboratory accreditation and evaluation of their effectiveness is emphasized.