At a glance
- The Lab Assessment of Antibiotic Resistance Testing Capacity (LAARC) is a laboratory assessment tool for use in clinical bacteriology laboratories in low- and middle-income countries.
- It was developed in 2017 and piloted in numerous resource-limited settings.
![Laboratorian working.](/antimicrobial-resistance/media/images/2024/04/LAARC-Thumbnail.jpg)
Purpose
The Lab Assessment of Antibiotic Resistance Testing Capacity (LAARC) toolkit helps laboratories identify and correct laboratory practices that contribute to inaccurate antimicrobial resistance (AR) data.
Use LAARC for:
- Self-assessment of technical deficiencies.
- Facilitating a standardized external assessment of AR laboratory networks.
LAARC materials
- LAARC User's Guide and Questionnaire
The Excel-based scoring tool:
- Is available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
- Generates numerical indicators of quality and capacity in fifteen domains of laboratory practice.
- Provides detailed real-time heatmaps for immediate visualization of problem areas.
- Flags key responses that require urgent correction.
- Aids development of workplans for improvement.
- Can be used to monitor the status of laboratory improvements over time.
- Allows data to be exported and collated for comparative analysis of multiple laboratories.
Page Accessibility
Persons with disabilities experiencing problems accessing this page should contact CDC-INFO at CDC-INFO email form: http://www.cdc.gov/info/, 800-232-4636 or the TTY number at (888) 232-6348 and ask for a 508 Accommodation PR#70. If emailing, please type "508 Accommodation PR# 70" without quotes in the subject line of the email. Please include the URL of the site in the Subject line of your email request that you would like to access.