What has been the impact of laboratory accreditation in Saudi Arabia? A cross-sectional survey of laboratory practitioners

Objectives: While laboratory accreditation has improved laboratory practices in several countries, its effectiveness in laboratories in Saudi Arabia remains unclear. This survey aims to assess the impact of laboratory accreditation on laboratory practices across the country. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we surveyed laboratory practitioners (n = 207) across Saudi Arabia from September 21 to October 22 using an online questionnaire created over Monkey Survey. Practitioners were queried regarding their laboratory accreditation, practices, and the observed impact on patient laboratory testing. Data were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software and potential associations were assessed using the Chi-square test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant in all cases. Results: Laboratories with a higher number of accreditations were more likely to have documented standard operating procedures (SOPs) (P = 0.039) and more frequent reviews of laboratory policies and procedures (P = 0.002). Practitioners in our study were more likely to have noticed an overall improvement in patient laboratory testing if their institutes adhered to the components of the accreditation process, such as documented SOPs for testing (P = 0.017), availability of safety manuals (P < 0.01), written policies of internal and external quality assurance programs (P = 0.007), regular meetings to maintain accreditations (P ≤ 0.001), and availability of a task force team to maintain the accreditation program (P ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: This survey suggests that accreditation has had an overall positive impact on laboratory practices and patient laboratory testing in Saudi Arabia.