Page 73 - The Veterinary Laboratory and Field Manual 3rd Edition

42 Susan C. Cork, Roy Halliwell and Willy Schauwers

15 Information technology (IT) support may is an important issue that must be addressed by
also be required – this can be outsourced veterinary laboratory services which are essen-
but in larger laboratories reliant on com- tially there to support rural development and
puting to run equipment and to generate therefore should meet the needs of the end user,
results, invoices, reports and so on there the farmer. In a busy regional centre, it may not
may be a need to employ a full time IT be possible for the laboratory staff to directly
officer. address the needs of farmers so it is important
to ensure that extension staff have sufficient
technical support to develop this role.
Outside the laboratory
In most regional laboratories, there will also
1 Control sample quality outside as well as be a requirement to supply epidemiological data
inside the laboratory by integrating labora- to the central laboratory from district centres.
tory and field activities and providing regular For this purpose, rural centres are often pro-
training for field and extension personnel. vided with computer assistance and electronic
2 Use reference laboratories to send specimens information systems. This will not be considered
for confirmatory or duplicate ‘blind’ testing. in detail in this handbook but basic training in
3 Consider building up a laboratory network the use of computers and in the software pack-
at the national, and potentially international, ages used in the laboratory is important and
level to gain opportunities for knowledge regular courses on the use of more specialized
transfer and staff exchange with more estab- programmes may also be needed.
lished facilities.

Endnotes
1.7 recording, reporting and
interpretation of results 1 The titles given to field service personnel vary from
country to country as does the level of training and
the degree of involvement of the different cadres,
Reporting results effectively and efficiently is that is, veterinary officers, veterinary field staff,
important. The interpretation of laboratory veterinary paraprofessionals, animal health techni-
results and subsequent guidance on disease cians and livestock extension staff. The regulations
control or case management, provided by the pertaining to what activities different cadres are
laboratory-based veterinary officer, depends on permitted to undertake also vary from country to
country, and even within a country, so the relevant
the provision of relevant information by the sub- regional authorities should be consulted to ensure
mitting veterinary or livestock extension staff. If compliance with relevant bylaws. In this book, we
veterinary officers are working in the field the will generally use the term veterinary field and
guidance and advice required may be fairly spe- extension staff when referring to the key users of
regional laboratory services.
cific and brief. However, if the extension services 2 Founded in 1924 as the Office International des
utilize paraprofessionals then additional clinical Epizooties, explaining the acronym OIE, it became
explanation and/or technical back up for follow the World Organisation for Animal Health in
up of cases may be required. 2003. OIE Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for
A common complaint about laboratory ser- Terrestrial Animals, http://www.oie.int/standard-
vices is that results often do not reach the end setting/terrestrial-manual/access-online/.
user, the farmer. This is often due to inadequate 3 Standards for biosafety and biosecurity for veteri-
nary laboratories and animal facilities can be found
communication or a lack of follow up between in the OIE Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines
extension, veterinary and laboratory staff. This for Terrestrial Animals Chapter 1.1.4, http://www.

Vet Lab.indb 42 26/03/2019 10:25