Evaluation of an external quality assessment program for HIV testing in Haiti, 2006-2011.

Objectives: To evaluate an external quality assessment (EQA) program for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) rapid diagnostics testing by the Haitian National Public Health Laboratory (French acronym: LNSP). Acceptable performance was defined as any proficiency testing (PT) score more than 80%. Methods: The PT database was reviewed and analyzed to assess the testing performance of the participating laboratories and the impact of the program over time. A total of 242 laboratories participated in the EQA program from 2006 through 2011; participation increased from 70 laboratories in 2006 to 159 in 2011. Results: In 2006, 49 (70%) laboratories had a PT score of 80% or above; by 2011, 145 (97.5%) laboratories were proficient (P < .05). Conclusions: The EQA program for HIV testing ensures quality of testing and allowed the LNSP to document improvements in the quality of HIV rapid testing over time. (C) American Society for Clinical Pathology