Refugee & Migrant Health: Laboratory Accreditation [LAB-09-EN]

Refugee & Migrant Health: Laboratory Accreditation [LAB-09-EN]

Laboratories operating within refugee reception centres, migrant health clinics, and mixed-population hospitals confront a constellation of compliance pressures that mainstream accreditation frameworks — including ISO 15189:2022 and Joint Commission International standards — were not designed to address in full: rapid patient throughput, multilingual documentation requirements, interrupted supply chains, and disease profiles that diverge substantially from those of stable resident populations. In Georgia and across the South Caucasus, these pressures are compounded by sustained arrivals from conflict-affected regions and the operational demands placed on facilities seeking Accreditation Service France (ASF) certification under conditions of demographic and epidemiological flux. Failure to achieve or maintain accreditation in such environments has direct consequences for diagnostic quality, infection control, and the continuity of care for some of the most clinically vulnerable individuals in any health system. This course provides the structured, evidence-grounded preparation that laboratory quality teams require to meet that challenge systematically and sustainably.

The course content is anchored in the requirements of ISO 15189:2022, WHO laboratory quality management system (LQMS) standards, and the specific normative expectations of ASF accreditation assessors, cross-referenced with published evidence on laboratory performance in humanitarian and high-mobility health settings. Instructional design follows a case-based, competency-oriented methodology in which participants work through documented gap analyses, corrective action cycles, and audit simulations drawn from real accreditation scenarios in migrant health facilities. Where relevant, the course incorporates guidance from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) health assessment frameworks and ECDC surveillance protocols applicable to population groups with elevated exposure to tuberculosis, bloodborne viruses, and antimicrobial-resistant organisms.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Distinguish the specific documentation, traceability, and pre-analytical requirements under ISO 15189:2022 that present the greatest compliance risk in high-turnover migrant and refugee laboratory settings.
• Implement a structured internal audit programme calibrated to ASF accreditation criteria, including non-conformity classification, root-cause analysis, and evidence-based corrective action planning.
• Design culturally and linguistically adapted sample collection protocols and patient identification procedures that satisfy accreditation requirements without compromising operational efficiency.
• Evaluate the adequacy of quality indicator systems — including turnaround time monitoring, critical value notification rates, and external quality assurance participation — against accreditor benchmarks in a migrant health context.
• Apply risk stratification frameworks to prioritise laboratory preparedness for the infectious disease profiles — including latent tuberculosis, viral hepatitis B and C, and multidrug-resistant pathogens — most prevalent in newly arrived populations served by Georgian and regional facilities.
• Construct a sustainable quality management roadmap that integrates staff competency assessment, equipment qualification records, and continual improvement cycles to support accreditation maintenance across funding and staffing transitions.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for laboratory managers, quality officers, and senior biomedical scientists working in accredited or accreditation-seeking facilities that serve refugee, asylum-seeking, or migrant populations, including public health laboratories, hospital-based clinical laboratories, and IOM or NGO-operated health assessment centres. It is equally relevant to healthcare administrators and infection control officers who carry institutional responsibility for quality system oversight and accreditation readiness. Professionals at mid-career and senior levels — particularly those preparing for an ASF assessment cycle or leading post-assessment corrective action — will derive the greatest benefit.

Course Structure

The course is delivered entirely online as a self-paced programme comprising six structured modules with an estimated study time of eight to ten hours, incorporating video lectures, annotated case studies, downloadable audit tools, and a summative competency assessment requiring a minimum passing score of 75 per cent. Successful completion qualifies for Category 1 CME/CPD credits in accordance with the Georgian Medical Association continuing education framework.