Building capacity in laboratory medicine in Africa by increasing physician involvement: A laboratory medicine course for clinicians

Objectives: To describe a 4-day laboratory medicine course for clinicians given at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, designed to improve the use of laboratory-based diagnoses. Methods: Each day was dedicated to one of the following topics: hematology, blood bank/transfusion medicine and coagulation, chemistry, and microbiology. The course included lectures, case-based learning, laboratory tours, and interactive computer case-based homework. The same 12-question knowledge quiz was given before and after the course. Results: Twenty-eight participants took the quiz before and 21 after completing the course. The average score was 5.28 (range, 2-10) for the initial quiz and 8.09 (range, 4-11) for the second quiz (P = .0001). Two of 12 and 8 of 12 questions were answered correctly by more than 60% of trainees on the initial and second quiz, respectively. Conclusions: Knowledge and awareness of the role of the laboratory increased after participation in the course. Understanding of laboratory medicine principles by clinicians will likely improve use of laboratory services and build capacity in Africa.