Tools
Core Competence Award Commended (2008): BD (Becton, Dickinson, and Company)
REGION: Global
INDUSTRY: Healthcare/Medical
WEBSITE: www.bd.com
BD’s lab strengthening program includes two distinct initiatives that draw upon the company’s core competence of technical assistance. Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) workshops provide hands-on training to laboratory workers. BD Volunteer Service Trips send teams of associates to Africa for two or three weeks each year to help address healthcare problems in local clinics.
Goal
To improve the laboratory skills and quality of patient care in the developing world, which will, in turn, strengthen laboratory diagnostics that are critical to the management of HIV/AIDS patients.
Program Scope
To date, BD has conducted GLP workshops in more than 58 countries, including Zambia, China, Brazil and India. BD volunteers have been deployed to five locations in Zambia and two in Ghana.
Outcomes
- BD has conducted 417 GLP workshops in more than 58 developing countries, providing hands-on training to more than 3,600 laboratory workers.
- BD has worked closely with more than 40 health agencies, universities, NGOs and international agencies, including the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP).
- More than 700 advanced CD4 cell counting systems have been deployed to developing countries with the help of a deeply-discounted pricing agreement between BD and the William J. Clinton Foundation.
- To date, BD’s Volunteer Service Trip program has focused on seven sites, each of which employs 10-25 people who are trained by BD volunteers. More than 500,000 people live in the combined service areas of the seven sites.
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ABOUT BD
BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) is a leading global medical technology company that manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD employs approximately 28,000 people in nearly 50 countries throughout the world.
THE COMMENDED PROGRAM
BD's lab strengthening program is exceptional in its comprehensive approach to transferring knowledge, technology and expertise to the developing world through a combination of hands-on training workshops, the provision of equipment, and high-impact volunteering by employees. By investing in lab strengthening, BD seeks to address fundamental weaknesses in developing world healthcare systems.
Workshops on Good Laboratory Practices (GLP)—the first component of BD's program—focus on implementing standard operating procedures for immune system monitoring of HIV/AIDS patients, including accurate measurement of a patient's CD4 count. GLP workshops are also being introduced to address the outdated and ineffective sputum acid-fast smear test for TB, which is used almost universally in the developing world. Fundamental laboratory practices such as quality control and blood sampling are also included in the workshops, which are taught by 34 BD trainers who are usually from the country or local region.
Volunteer Service Trips—the second component of BD's program—send BD associates to remote health facilities in Africa to help build local health capacity through training, construction, and laboratory strengthening. The program is administered at no expense to volunteers, nor does it require that employees use vacation time.
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS
Targeting the Most Deprived Healthcare Systems
BD targets laboratory workers and clinicians on the frontline of epidemics while prioritizing healthcare systems that lack basic infrastructure and are most in need of trained workers. By providing education to these target groups, BD seeks to create a ripple effect within healthcare systems where lab workers help educate physicians.
Engaging Employees as Volunteers and Participants
BD associates are responsible for designing and implementing all laboratory strengthening initiatives, including the logistics for each volunteer trip. Associates also travel to participating countries for both short- and long-term training sessions.
BROADLY APPLICABLE PRINCIPLES
Creating Mixed-Use Facilities Expands Impact
BD has established eight training centers around the world, including centers in Brazil, China, India, Kenya, Mexico Russia, Singapore and South Africa. These centers have fully-outfitted laboratories with equipment donated by BD. When not in use for training purposes, the laboratories are available for actual patient monitoring and HIV/AIDS research.
Government Partnerships Bring Programs to Scale
The experience and knowledge that BD gained from its GLP workshops and the Volunteer Service Trip program made the company an attractive partner for the U.S. Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator. As a result, BD and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) are now collaborating on a five-year program, valued at up to $18 million, to bring BD's efforts to scale in countries across Africa.
