Global Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Equipment Management and Sustainability and Implications for Pandemic Preparedness Priorities1.

Substantial investments into laboratories, notably sophisticated equipment, have been made over time to detect emerging diseases close to their source. Diagnostic capacity has expanded as a result, but challenges have emerged. The Equipment Management and Sustainability Survey was sent to the Veterinary Services of 182 countries in mid-2019. We measured the status of forty types of laboratory equipment used in veterinary diagnostic laboratories. Of the 68,455 items reported from 227 laboratories in 136 countries, 22% (14,894/68,455) were improperly maintained, and 46% (29,957/65,490) were improperly calibrated. Notable differences were observed across World Bank income levels and regions, raising concerns about equipment reliability and the results they produce. Our results will advise partners and donors on how best to support low-resource veterinary laboratories to improve sustainability and fulfill their mandate toward pandemic prevention and preparedness, as well as encourage equipment manufacturers to spur innovation and develop more sustainable products that meet end-users' needs.

An International Collaborative Approach to Developing Training Guidelines for Veterinary Paraprofessionals.

Veterinary paraprofessionals (VPPs) are engaged worldwide in animal health management, disease surveillance and food safety control. In many countries, particularly developing countries, VPPs are critical to national veterinary services provision. Until recently, there were no globally recognized training requirements for VPPs. Recognition of VPPs' qualifications and roles, and requirements for registration, vary greatly between jurisdictions. To address these issues, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has developed competency and curricular guidelines for VPPs. A collaborative approach was essential to this mission. Extensive consultation with individuals and agencies representing various countries, animal health and veterinary sectors, and forms of expertise, was undertaken. Collaborative methods included the formation of a guidelines development ad hoc group whose diversity reflected project needs, the use of existing OIE Member Country data to understand roles of VPPs globally, conducting stakeholder surveys to collate VPP competency expectations and solicit feedback on draft guidelines, and in-country missions to validate draft curricular models. The initial deliverable from this work was publication of Competency Guidelines for VPPs. This document provides recommendations on the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and aptitudes that could be expected of VPPs following effective training. The companion document, OIE Curricular Guidelines for VPPs, provides recommendations on coursework structure and content to achieve these competencies. These guidelines will assist countries worldwide in more effectively training and qualifying VPPs so that they can contribute positively to the provision of veterinary services. Another potential impact is to catalyze the review of educational and regulatory standards regarding the respective work rights and activities of veterinarians and VPPs.

Addressing the challenges of implementing evidence-based prioritisation in global health.

Global health requires evidence-based approaches to improve health and decrease inequalities. In a roundtable discussion between health practitioners, funders, academics and policy-makers, we recognised key areas for improvement to deliver better-informed, sustainable and equitable global health practices. These focus on considering information-sharing mechanisms and developing evidence-based frameworks that take an adaptive function-based approach, grounded in the ability to perform and respond to prioritised needs. Increasing social engagement as well as sector and participant diversity in whole-of-society decision-making, and collaborating with and optimising on hyperlocal and global regional entities, will improve prioritisation of global health capabilities. Since the skills required to navigate drivers of pandemics, and the challenges in prioritising, capacity building and response do not sit squarely in the health sector, it is essential to integrate expertise from a broad range of fields to maximise on available knowledge during decision-making and system development. Here, we review the current assessment tools and provide seven discussion points for how improvements to implementation of evidence-based prioritisation can improve global health.