What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to assess participation rates in CPD courses by ASLM Academy among laboratory professionals in Africa.

March 26, 2026

Improving Laboratory Continuous Professional Development Training in Africa: The ASLM Academy Experience

Key Points

The study aims to assess participation rates in CPD courses by ASLM Academy among laboratory professionals in Africa.
Analyzed electronic data from CPD course enrollments and virtual webinars.
Recorded participation from 2020 to 2024.
Profiled demographic characteristics of participants.
69% of participants were male, with 39% from East Africa.
48% of individuals hailed from government institutions.
ASLM membership significantly linked to higher course participation and certification rates.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objectives To examine the uptake rates of the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) Academy Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programmes training courses by laboratory professionals within the African region and explore factors influencing participation. Methods This study analysed the electronic training programmes data of the ASLM Academy to describe the implementation of the CPD courses and profile their uptake by laboratory professionals in Africa. The study population consisted of training records of individuals who enrolled in CPD courses offered by the ASLM Academy and those who participated in the weekly 1–2 hourly virtual webinars during the 2020–2024 period. Results By predicted gender, the majority of individuals were males (69%, n = 3169) with the majority (39%, n = 2805) being from East Africa. Most individuals (48%, n = 2092) were from government institutions, and the majority of individuals (89%, n = 3169) had taken 1–4 ASLM CPD trainings. Gender was not significantly associated with course participation (χ 2 = 6.68, p = 0.083). ASLM membership showed a strong association (χ 2 = 280.7, p < 0.001), with members more likely to take a higher number of courses. Among the 621 participants who had taken modular courses, certification rates differed significantly by course type (χ 2 = 17.15, p < 0.001), with the SARS‐CoV‐2 Antigen Rapid Diagnostic course having the highest proportion of certified participants (56.7%). ASLM members were more likely to be certified than non‐members (χ 2 = 15.46, p < 0.001). Regional differences were also significant (χ 2 = 19.69, p < 0.001), with the East African region having the highest participation (39.3%). Conclusions The uptake of ASLM Academy CPD training courses was predominantly from laboratory scientists and individuals from government institutions. Being an ASLM member was the main factor that significantly influenced individuals' participation in many CPD training courses offered by the ASLM Academy.

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Cite This Study

Ndlovu et al. (Tue,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69c4cd3efdc3bde448919487 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/tmi.70134

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