An investigation into the status of quality assurance and quality control measures in diagnostic X-ray departments in Malawi

M.Tech.There is varied X-ray equipment in the hospitals where radiology services are being provided by the government of Malawi. Well maintained and optimally functioning X-ray equipment is essential in providing diagnostic assistance to referring clinicians. Equipment needs to be carefully looked after by the users to avoid unnecessary breakdowns because installation and maintenance is very expensive. Imaging departments need to be well run and efficiently utilised in order to minimise radiation hazards and to be cost effective. One important element of taking care of equipment is to conduct Quality Assurance (QA) Programmes and Quality Control (QC) measures. QA and QC activities are essential if X-ray equipment is to operate optimally at all times. X-ray equipment in Malawi is not subjected to any QA or QC measures as stipulated by the World Health Organization (WHO) standards and this leads to frequent breakdown of equipment. This prompted the researcher to conduct a study to investigate the status of X-ray equipment QA and QC measures in Malawi. The aim of the study was to establish the status of QA and QC measures in diagnostic X-ray departments in government hospitals of Malawi and establish a baseline from which recommendations could be made to facilitate the development of QA and QC programmes in Malawi. A quantitative design that included an exploratory and descriptive approach was used to collect data. All four central hospitals were selected using a census sampling method and ten district hospitals were selected using cluster sampling method across the country. Questionnaires were used to collect information on QA programmes for hospitals and X-ray departments. Records were checked retrospectively in the hospitals and X-ray departments for the availability of formal QA programmes if any. QC tests were also conducted on the X-ray equipment and imaging accessories