Laboratory services play a significant role in a country’s public health system and in the delivery of quality health services. Expanding programs for HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria require strong and supportive laboratory services. Laboratory capacity depends on the continuous availability of equipment, reagents, and consumables required to perform tests; these products must be supplied through effective supply chains. Laboratory systems are particularly challenging given the large number of commodities that they must manage; resource-limited environments introduce additional challenges.
The USAID | DELIVER PROJECT's Resources for Laboratory Supply Chains: A CD Toolkit provides a variety of tools necessary for strengthening a national laboratory supply chain system. Issues covered include assessment, policy, initial activities, support and supervision, product selection, quantification, computerized information management, and country examples of laboratory supply chain development.
Key documents and tools include”
Assessment Tool for Laboratory Services and Supply Chains (ATLAS) Database ( http://deliver.jsi.com/jsi/ATLAS_Database.zip ) The ATLAS Database, created in Microsoft Access 2010, provides a step-by-step questionnaire used for data gathering. Data from the questionnaire is presented in reports, which can be analyzed for laboratory decisionmaking.
ATLAS Database Guide for Users and Administrators (http://deliver.jsi.com/dlvr_content/resources/allpubs/guidelines/ATLASDataGuid.pdf)
This guide provides instructions for using the database.
Assessment Tool for Laboratory Services and Supply Chains (ATLAS) (file:///G:/DELIVER%20II/Communications/Publications/Core%20Publications/Lab%20Supply%20Chains%20CD/Publications/Alpha-all%20Documents/AsseToolLab_ATLAS.pdf)
This paper-based version of the ATLAS Database can be used as an on-site questionnaire when a computer is not available to complete data gathering directly into the database. It is also available in French (http://deliver.jsi.com/dlvr_content/resources/allpubs/guidelines/AsseToolLab_ATLAS_FR.pdf).
Laboratory Logistics Glossary of Terms (file:///G:/DELIVER%20II/Communications/Publications/Core%20Publications/Lab%20Supply%20Chains%20CD/Publications/Alpha-all%20Documents/LabLogGlossTerm.pdf)
This list of definitions unique to the laboratory settings may be helpful to public health logisticians or others working on laboratory system strengthening who may not be familiar with laboratories.
Laboratory Logistics Photo Glossary (file:///G:/DELIVER%20II/Communications/Publications/Core%20Publications/Lab%20Supply%20Chains%20CD/Publications/Alpha-all%20Documents/LabLogPhotGloss.pdf)
These descriptions and photographs of consumable and durable laboratory supplies and equipment help logisticians identify materials found in the laboratory.
Quantification of Health Commodities: Laboratory Commodities Companion Guide (file:///G:/DELIVER%20II/Communications/Publications/Core%20Publications/Lab%20Supply%20Chains%20CD/Publications/Alpha-all%20Documents/QuantHealComm_LabComp.pdf)
A companion guide to Quantification of Health Commodities: A Guide to Forecasting and Supply Planning for Procurement (http://deliver.jsi.com/dlvr_content/resources/allpubs/guidelines/QuantHealthComm.pdf), this document elaborates on the commodity specific considerations for laboratory quantifications.
All of the tools are also available on the USAID | DELIVER PROJECT website at: www.deliver.jsi.com.
To request a copy of the CD, email to:
mailto:askdeliver@jsi.com
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Sarah Burstyn
mailto:sarah_burstyn@jsi.com