Standard Operating Procedure Utilization for Tuberculosis Microscopy in Mekelle City, North Ethiopia.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the utilization of standard operating procedures for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear microscopy.

Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in select health institutions in Mekelle City, Ethiopia, from July 1, 2015, through August 30, 2015. Using a simple random sampling technique, 18 health facilities were included in the study. Data were collected using a standard checklist and entered into Epi Info version 3.5.4 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA) for editing. Analysis was done using SPSS version 20 (SPSS, Chicago, IL).

Results: Of the 18 laboratory facilities, only seven (38.9%) had a legible AFB registration book. In three (16.7%) of the laboratories, heat fixation was not applied before adding primary staining reagent. In 12 (66.7%), the staining reagents had precipitates. Two laboratories had microscopes with mechanical stages that could not move freely on both axes. Seven (38.9%) of the laboratories reported samples to be negative before examining all required fields. Most laboratories, 16 (88.9%) and 17 (94.4%), respectively, did not run positive and negative controls after new batch reagent preparation.

Conclusions: Tuberculosis microscopy was found to be substandard with clear gaps in documentation, sample collection, and processing.