How might the decision of laboratories or healthcare facilities to skip participation in an External Quality Assessment (EQA) program impact the accuracy and reliability of Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial susceptibility testing results? This question came to mind while reading this research article entitled "Ten years of external quality assessment (EQA) of Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial susceptibility testing in Europe elucidate high reliability of data".Article Ten years of external quality assessment (EQA) of Neisseria ...
External Quality Assessment (EQA) programs play a crucial role in ensuring the accuracy and reliability of laboratory testing procedures, serving as a cornerstone of quality control. Their primary objective is to guarantee the validity and usability of data and results obtained through these tests.
Failure to participate in EQA programs can lead to serious quality assurance issues, resulting in inaccurate test results. One significant concern is the potential for misdiagnosing antimicrobial susceptibility in Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections, which carries risks for both patients and healthcare professionals. Misdiagnosis can lead to confusion and misinterpretation, potentially culminating in inappropriate treatment choices, treatment failure, or the development of antibiotic resistance.
Neglecting EQA programs can also lead to inadequate patient care, as inaccurate susceptibility testing may result in patients receiving ineffective treatments, leading to persistent infections, complications, and disease transmission. Furthermore, Neisseria gonorrhoeae is already notorious for its propensity to develop antimicrobial resistance, and inaccurate susceptibility testing can exacerbate this issue, making effective gonorrhea treatment even more challenging.
Lastly, insufficient surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility in Neisseria gonorrhoeae can impede public health efforts to monitor and control infection spread and antibiotic resistance, with broader consequences for public health.
Sources:
Laudus, N., Nijs, L., Nauwelaers, I., & Dequeker, E. M. C. (2022). The Significance of External Quality Assessment Schemes for Molecular Testing in Clinical Laboratories. Cancers, 14(15), 3686. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14153686
Street, T., MD. (2022). Antimicrobial susceptibility: reference range, interpretation, collection and panels. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/2103786-overview#:~:text=Antimicrobial%20susceptibility%20tests%20are%20used,which%20are%20obtained%20much%20sooner.
According to the journal mentioned appropriate prevention, dignostics, and surveillance is needed to be managed, especially when there is an emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Participating in an External Quality Assessment (EQA) program for Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial testing is significant because failing to do so can produce several consequences for both laboratory and public health.
The consequence of not participating the EQA program are; lack of information of the Euro-GASP regarding the resistance of N. Gonorrhoeae, possibly not able to provide the right treatment due to not being aware of the possible resistance of the said causative agent, and losing the opportunity for the laboratory to be evaluated if it has the capacity to detect occuring new, rare, and increasing antimicrobial resistance phenotypes.
Reference:
Cole, M. J., Quaye, N., Jacobsson, S., Day, M., Fagan, E., Ison, C., Pitt, R., Seaton, S., Woodford, N., Stary, A., Pleininger, S., Crucitti, T., Hunjak, B., Maikanti, P., Hoffmann, S., Viktorova, J., Buder, S., Kohl, P., Tzelepi, E., . . . Unemo, M. (2019, March 25). Ten years of external quality assessment (EQA) of Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial susceptibility testing in Europe elucidate high reliability of data. BMC Infectious Diseases, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-019-3900-z