Rapid Test Continuous Quality Improvement
The current initiative is to expand HIV testing to achieve UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. There has been significant progress meeting these targets and many countries are reaching epidemic control. It is both a programmatic and ethical imperative and priority for Ministries of Health (MOH) and National AIDS Control (NAC) programs to implement robust quality management systems that deliver reliable and accurate HIV test results. The HIV Rapid Test Continuous Quality Improvement initiative (RTCQI), launched in 2014 as a practical and comprehensive approach to ensure the quality of HIV test results.
RTCQI is based on five main pillars which include
- Supporting countries to develop policies and implement guidelines on quality assurance for HIV related point of care testing
- Strengthening human resources through training and competency based qualification of testers
- Implementing a stepwise process for improving the quality of testing towards sites certification
- Completing the quality assurance cycle for standardized HTS register and proficiency testing (PT) program in order to increase uptake
- Strengthening national capacity for rapid test kit lot verification or post market surveillance (PMS)
RTCQI emphasizes the quality assurance cycle (QAC) which is a foundation for increasing uptake, coverage and impact of quality assurance for HIV testing. The QAC is comprised of three major phases including: Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation. Conceptualized in a cycle, the emphasis on the QAC is to ensure all activities of the various phases are completed and RTCQI is guided by the implementation of innovative strategies to ensure the QAC is accomplished.
RTCQI Implementation Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
The people who make RTCQI implementations happen across the world.
