Standard Operating Procedures Workshop in Tanzania

February 20 to 23, 2023, the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Ciheb Tanzania held a four-day workshop to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for sample collection and transportation of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) and Fever and Rash Illness (FRI) surveillance. The meeting was held in Kibaha (Pwani region) at KCC Hotel and was coordinated by the Tanzanian Ministry of Health (MoH) through Immunization and Vaccine development (IVD). The SOPs cover procedures related to specimen collection, packaging, sample transport, specimen tracking, biosafety, and the return of results.

“UMB’s Ciheb Tanzania is working with MoH through the IVD to improve Polio surveillance through improved turnaround time (TAT) of Acute Flaccid Paralysis samples,” said Dr. Christina Mmasa, PLST Project Lead.  

Laboratory tests are crucial to the provision of timely care and treatment. SOPs are critical in testing laboratories as they provide a framework for carrying out experiments and procedures accurately, reliably, and efficiently. Additional reasons why SOPs in testing laboratories are important include:

1. Consistency: SOPs ensure that tests are conducted in a consistent manner, regardless of who is performing them. This consistency is essential in ensuring accurate and reliable results, as it eliminates the potential for variations due to different people's interpretations or approaches to the task.
2. Compliance: Testing laboratories must comply with regulatory requirements and industry standards to maintain accreditation and certification. SOPs help laboratories comply with these standards by documenting the procedures required for compliance, ensuring that they are followed consistently.
3. Quality control: SOPs provide a means for laboratories to implement quality control measures by specifying the procedures to be followed, the equipment to be used, and the expected results. This ensures that the tests are accurate, reliable, and of high quality.
4. Training: Standard operating procedures provide a valuable resource for training laboratory staff. They provide clear instructions on how to perform specific tests, making it easier for new employees to learn and for experienced employees to refresh their skills.
5. Safety: SOPs also promote safety in the laboratory. They identify potential hazards, provide instructions for handling hazardous materials and chemicals, and establish procedures for responding to emergencies.

Proper sample collection and transport play an important role in the accurate and timely identification of a pathogen. If a sample is damaged at the point of collection, transportation, or analysis, this can result in inaccurate readings and improper treatment. The SOPs developed at this workshop ensure that samples that reach testing laboratories are subject to international standards.

“Collaborating with MoH on this task ensures facilities and healthcare providers adhere to procedures and will help UMB’s Ciheb Tanzania fulfill the main objective of the project, which is to improve the TAT of AFP samples,” explained Dr. Mmasa.

Through this technical working group workshop, two draft SOPs were developed and are now under review. Once approved, they will be out for printing and dissemination.