Performance Evaluation of Graduating Class of Medical Laboratory Students and Its Associated Factors on AFB Smear Microscopy in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.
| dc.contributor.advisor | Abay Sisay | |
| dc.contributor.author | Eden Alamirew | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-08-12T17:12:49Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-08-12T17:12:49Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023-02-12 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Background: TB sputum smear microscopy plays an essential role in initial TB diagnosis and follow-up. To have skilled laboratory professionals in AFB microscopy, it is crucial to have demonstrative competence among the professionals working on the examination of TB microscopes before the test report. There is limited research-based information on the performance evaluation of graduating class of medical laboratory students in this specific study area. Objective: this study was to assess the performance of the graduating class of medical laboratory students in public and private academic institutions on AFB smear microscopy and its associated factors in Addis Ababa Ethiopia from April 2020 to April 2021. Method: A cross-sectional study design was employed among the graduating class of medical laboratory students in 2 public and 4 private academic institutions. A standardized pre-validated 10 sputum TB smear slide panels for each academic institution were used then 106 undergraduate students were involved to assess the student performance by using convenient sampling techniques. The percentages of agreements and the different types of errors were calculated. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the smear reading for participants were calculated. The strength of an agreement between a participant and the reference readers was assessed using kappa statistics. Logistic regression & Chi-square test was used to assess associations between different variables. Results: Among 106 evaluated students, 65(61.3%) were males and the mean age of the participant were 24.2±2.6 with the majority of the age group between 20 to 30 years. The overall performance score ranged from 40-100%, with 320/1,060 slides (32%) with minor errors and 224/1,060 slides (22.4%) with major errors. From the panel slide reading, the total number of students that scored greater than 80% is 22 (20.8%), and 84 (79.8%) students scored below 80%. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of reading smears were 51%, 84%, 76%, and 63% respectively. The strength of an agreement between participant result and the reference laboratory were moderate agreement Kappa value 0.51. In Multivariate analysis, the type of microscope and no practice session was affecting the student performance, this means a strong association with poor student performance . Conclusion: The performance of graduating batch students was very much lower than the recommended cut-off value of 80%. Factors contributing to decreasing student performance related to the allocation of practical time sessions and type of microscope. Accordingly, as an improvement project we recommend, students should take pre-service training (Internship) & active regulatory measures should be in place before student graduation. Keywords: AFB microscope, competence, tuberculosis, Performance, Laboratory student. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/6368 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.publisher | Addis Ababa University | |
| dc.subject | AFB microscope competence tuberculosis Performance Laboratory student | |
| dc.title | Performance Evaluation of Graduating Class of Medical Laboratory Students and Its Associated Factors on AFB Smear Microscopy in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. | |
| dc.type | Thesis |