International Strategy
Schema of NRL's International Programme
Introduction
The National Serology Reference Laboratory, Australia (NRL™) has been active internationally since its inception in 1985. The NRL focuses exclusively on developing the capacity of laboratories, laboratory systems and enhancing the quality of their services. Good laboratory practice is one of the cornerstones in achieving good medicine and therefore the effective use of health budgets. Areas that require development include ability to test samples in screening programmes for diagnosis or blood safety, confirmation of results of first-line testing for transfusion transmitted infections and monitoring the course of infections and responses to therapy. Development of laboratories may be best accomplished by improving laboratory systems. The NRL gathers information through delivering quality assurance programmes to identify areas for improvement. It then responds with education and training aimed at ensuring the continual improvement of laboratory services and their continuing education.
The overall outcome delivers better health and better use of medical resources. This is especially so for laboratory services for infectious diseases especially HIV and hepatitis. The NRL was one of the first WHO Collaborating Centres in the field of HIV, having been designated in 1985. Over the years, NRL has provided quality assurance programmes to laboratories, conducted training, facilitated interlaboratory networking and provided leadership in disseminating new technologies and information. The outcomes have been: internationally active quality assurance programmes for laboratories, improved laboratory services with better diagnosis in HIV and other infections, better blood safety, improved technology and better technologists in laboratories, greater understanding and use of quality assurance mechanisms and the continued development of the NRL as a hub for facilitating laboratory development.
NRL's Mode of Operations
In meeting its International Strategy the NRL seeks to be culturally sensitive, collaborative, and supportive rather than didactic or prescriptive. Therefore, we will seek to partner and collaborate with international groups with like values. The NRL attempts to improve and enhance existing systems by responding to requests for assistance as well as seeking opportunities for change and improvement in laboratories and their services.
NRL's unique contribution rests with its ability to offer the definitive range of approaches to quality development of laboratories in technical capability, management and education.
The NRL's International Programme
NRL will collaborate to encourage and assist all laboratories to develop quality services. Laboratories will be well-supported in their ability to delivering accurate diagnoses and appropriate care of people with infectious diseases especially those infected with blood-borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis. Blood services will be aided in delivering virus-free blood for transfusion.
NRL seeks to be recognized in the region and internationally as the central source of information and education concerning quality in laboratories. It seeks to offer efficient and relevant programmes for blood safety, diagnosis, reference testing, and monitoring that are sought out by laboratories, collaborators, and governments.
Objectives
1. Deliver efficient and useful quality assurance programmes for more laboratories
2. Collaborate with laboratories and governments through regulatory bodies and others
- Improve diagnostic and monitoring programmes for HIV
- Improve blood safety through quality assurance and the response to problems demonstrated
- Widen external quality assessment and quality control programmes
- Assist in developing national reference laboratories
- Assist in developing national testing policies
3. Improve and systematize education for laboratories
- With collaborators, develop and consolidate efforts to meet NRL's programme internationally
- Have a training focus and training team at the NRL
- Assist in developing regulatory specifications for IVDs
4. Continual improvement of laboratories' quality through better education methods
- Support information exchange
- Train trainers in countries of Southeast Asia and beyond
- Systematically organize training programmes and training materials
- Widen and support networks between regional and intracountry laboratories
5. Improve NRL's funding base for international activities
- Utilize electronic media
- Develop NRL's Website capabilities even further
- Establish interactive education programmes
- Improve data base management for NRL's quality programmes
- Seek out collaborations and funding programmes with wide base
- Apply for and secure applied research grants
- Collaborate in scientific studies
- Promote quality assurance as a vehicle for good science