Proficiency Testing Performance for Point of Care Glucose Users in a Tertiary Hospital in Kenya

Abstract Introduction/Objective Introduction: Point of Care (POC) blood glucose measurements are widely used for monitoring diabetes in hospitals. Ensuring quality of POC glucose is important for patient safety. Proficiency testing (PT) where POC users are provided with samples to analyze in the same way as they would patient samples, and the test results are compared with those of peers, is especially important for hospitals with multiple glucose meters where multiple operators with varying levels of education and experience are performing POC glucose analysis. Objective To evaluate the performance of POC glucose users at a tertiary hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Methods/Case Report Methodology: The study was conducted at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), an 1800 bed public teaching and referral hospital located in Nairobi, Kenya.Nurses in 46 wards and clinics who use blood glucose machines (BGM) were given low and high glucose quality control (QC) materials to analyze using BGMs like patient samples. The results of each ward were analyzed. Comparison of each participant was made with the group (consensus values) and the central laboratory (assigned values), and graded as acceptable or unacceptable. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) Results:Most participants obtained acceptable glucose results but 7.6% and 13% results were unacceptable when consensus values and assigned values were used respectively. Two participants (4.3%) obtained unacceptable with both low and high glucose controls. Conclusion The unacceptable results indicate need for improvement, and two BGM users who should be trained and their competency assessed to ensure quality of glucose tests.