EXTERNAL QUALITY ASSESSMENT SYSTEM FOR CLINICAL LABORATORIES IN LIMITED RESOURCE SETTINGS

The purpose of this work is to provide an External Quality Assessment System for Clinical Laboratories. A technological development research was carried out. Each stage of the system includes procedures with a logical and specific order. The validation of the system was carried out using the expert assessment method and the Iadov technique. For its presentation as a scientific result, the following was considered: the epistemological framework with the foundation and justification of the need; the objective; the social context in which it is inserted; the graphic representation; the explanation of each element with its interactions; the forms of instrumentation and the evaluation of the system. Reliability of the evaluation instrument was found (Cronbach's alpha = 0.804) and concordance among the experts (p= 0.011 in Kendall's W test). 67.6% of the users expressed clear satisfaction with the system and the Global Satisfaction Index was 0.75. It is concluded that the system from its theoretical and practical conception is adequate and will contribute to raise the standards of quality and reliability in the results of clinical laboratories in environments with limited resources; it will also contribute from the University Hospital to the academic training of technologists and residents of Clinical Laboratory.