NHRTI’s Proficiency Testing Services help medical and public health laboratories assess the accuracy, reliability and comparability of their testing. The bacteriology scheme serves participating laboratories across Zambia.
Find the right PTS route
Join a scheme
Contact the PTS team for enrollment information, scheme scope and participation arrangements.
Survey instructions
Obtain the current instructions for your assigned survey from the PTS team.
Submit results
Enrolled participants can send assigned survey results through the participant workflow.
Feedback reports
Reports are not currently issued through this website. Contact the team for your laboratory’s reports and release information.
A quality improvement service
Learning from laboratory performance
Proficiency testing gives laboratories an opportunity to assess performance and identify improvements. NHRTI’s institutional account describes a management review of the bacteriology scheme involving the Ministry of Health and UKHSA.
The review considered the quality management system, service sustainability and ISO/IEC 17043:2023 requirements.
How proficiency testing works
NHRTI periodically sends participating laboratories well-characterised test items that resemble routine samples. Each laboratory analyses them using its normal procedures and returns its results for evaluation against set criteria.
Participants receive confidential performance feedback showing strengths and areas to improve. The process can help teams find testing challenges, review staff competency, take corrective action and track quality over time.
NHRTI manages item preparation and quality checks, distribution, result collection, evaluation and reporting. The scheme is designed around impartiality, confidentiality and the principles of ISO/IEC 17043:2023. Participation arrangements and current documents should be confirmed with the PTS team.
For enrolled laboratories
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Use your assigned survey instructions
Ask the PTS team for the current instructions that apply to your laboratory’s survey.
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Submit through the agreed route
Follow the survey instructions and use the participant workflow for the survey assigned to your laboratory.
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Contact the team about feedback
Ask the PTS team for your laboratory’s report and the applicable release arrangements.
Connected laboratory expertise
Supporting quality beyond one laboratory
NHRTI’s microbiology and reference laboratory work includes support for bacteriology performance across laboratories in Zambia.
