The aim of this study was to assess the utilization of standard operating procedures for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear microscopy.
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).
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.
Tuberculosis microscopy was found to be substandard with clear gaps in documentation, sample collection, and processing.