External quality assessment scheme for HIV serology testing to evaluate the application of the recommended national HIV testing algorithm in the HIV laboratories in Viet Nam

Abstract

National HIV testing algorithm has been recommended for laboratories since 2015, and the used of not-recommended HIV algorithm may lead to errors in HIV diagnosis. This article aims to evaluate the use of HIV testing algorithm for diagnostic in laboratories from 2014 to 2018 by using the external quality assessment scheme (EQAS) for HIV testing. The EQA panelsconsists of 10 sampleswhich were well characterized as negative or positive forHIV antibodies. The panels were sent to
451-628 laboratories in the North and Central provinces. The online software forms collected information of HIV testing algorithms and any errors of the participating laboratories. Results: recommended HIV testing algorithms used by laboratories increased from 62.09% in 2014to 77.1% in 2018. The rate of errors in laboratories using the recommended algoithms is lower than in the laboratories which did not use recommended HIV testing algorithms, (in 2014 was 3.2 vs 7.5; in 2015 was 1.1% vs 1.6%; in 2016 was 2.8%, 1.7% vs 3.6%, 6.3%; 2017 was 2.1%, 2.2% vs 2.2%, 4.2%, and in 2018 was
3.2% vs 3.8%). Adopting the recommended HIV testing algorithms is essential to improving the quality of HIV testing in Vietnam.