Participation in External Quality Assessment activities for all laboratory testing is an essential (and often mandated) component of a functional laboratory quality management system. However, for some types of testing, access to EQA programmes are limited due to technical, logistical or financial limitations.
EQA activities for the detection and characterization of high-threat and emerging pathogens frequently fall into this limitation category due to the limited numbers of laboratories performing testing to make a viable cohort (i.e. only one NPHL per country), the high technical capacities required to obtain and culture pathogens to create EQA materials and the significant logistical & administrative challenges in the shipment of infectious substances between countries.
In order to understand more about the current global landscape of EQA for this niche area of testing, and to begin exploring solutions to improve sustainable access to relevant EQA programmes, WHO convened a global consultation for organizations and institutions involved in the coordination or provision of EQA for emerging and high-threat pathogens (EQAP)
The primary objectives of this consultation included:
- Convene stakeholders identified as globally relevant in the coordination or provision of EQAP.
- To provide an open forum for sharing experiences, challenges and best practices in establishing
and maintaining EQAP - To explore in more detail some of the key areas of difficulty specific to EQAP including managing
partnerships and technical considerations of methods and programme design. - To identify best-practices in the use of EQA outcomes for building laboratory capacities and
improving health security. - To develop terms of reference for an ongoing global forum of Providers of EQAP (PEQAP) to
continue ongoing communication and information exchange