Managing a Testing Site
Managing an HIV point of care testing site means ensuring that people who visit your site are receiving ARCCH testing. It also means ensuring your site is providing optimal test accuracy.
To oversee and ensure that quality standards are maintained, each site appoints a quality assurance lead. This individual may be the testing site’s manager, supervisor, or another staff member tasked with these responsibilities.
The quality assurance lead oversees testing processes at the site. They :
- Train staff and update staff skills, as needed. Resources to support staff training are available here. Review each site’s responsibilities with regard to training and certification of new staff.
- Manage inventory. Careful monitoring of how HIV POC test kits are ordered and received, and how they are stored and used. This involves using the secure HIV POC Inventory Management portal.
- Oversee quality assurance testing of supplies, including regular evaluation of POC test kits (quality assurance testing) to make sure they are working properly
- Oversee quality assessment of staff, including biannual proficiency tests for all staff to ensure staff retain testing competency and ensure correct procedures and test results.
- Document any unexpected testing outcomes that occur at your site, and responding appropriately
- Ensure appropriate record keeping of testing and quality assurance activities at the site. Templates are available for all necessary quality assurance records.
Use the links above to learn more about the requirements for sites in each area. A brief Operating Guide for HIV POC sites is also available for download.
Quality Assurance Responsibility
The quality assurance lead at your site is one link in the chain of responsibility that ensures the highest standards for point of care testing in Ontario. Additional quality assurance partners include the test manufacturer, the AIDS and Hepatitis C Program of the Ministry and the Institute for Quality Management in Healthcare, as well as the HIV testers at each site. Review the responsibilities of each of these quality assurance partners.