With over 5,060 participants from 81 countries registering via the France Université Numérique platform, this edition of the course, fully online, reached a varied audience consisting of medical laboratory professionals, accreditation stakeholders and students planning careers in these fields. This initiative was designed to:
- Raise awareness of quality management among laboratory staff,
- Explain the requirements of the ISO 15189 standard,
- Present concrete tools for developing a quality management system and managing the associated risks.
The participants achieved this goal – 865 of them were awarded a badge for having completed the free “Knowledge” module, and 259 received a certificate for passing the “Skills” module, culminating in an exam.
The educational content of the MOOC was fully updated for this edition to reflect the changes introduced by the ISO 15189: 2022 standard. The training moved progressively from basic quality principles to methods of integrating them into key medical laboratory processes. The learners were able to access a variety of resources: explanatory texts and videos, interactive quizzes, dynamic forums (620 discussions in all) and a live YouTube event, which enabled participants to communicate directly with international experts.
Since its launch in 2019, the MOOC has attracted over 16,900 participants in total, underlining the growing importance of strengthening quality management systems in medical laboratories to guarantee reliable results and improve the care delivered to patients.
The MOOC has also encouraged the emergence of a community of practitioners dedicated to laboratory quality, meeting in a LinkedIn group that now has 1,600 members. This network enables professionals and participants to discuss best practices and continue to develop their skills.
About the Quality Initiative
The Mérieux Foundation’s Quality Initiative aims to improve the quality management knowledge and skills of laboratory staff as part of a continuous improvement system for laboratories in low-income countries.