DOI: njcpt.com.ng/101.1.2.2
Corresponding Author: +2348035681385
E-mail: chifydugo@gmail.com
Abstract
Background: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is very important in choosing antibiotics or to monitor patterns of resistance in clinical settings. The use of the WHONET software for monitoring patterns of antimicrobial susceptibility in Nigeria is limited due to due to its low popularity, the technological requirements of Windows computer, unreliable public power supply, higher cost of computers, and poor internet connectivity.
Objective: This pilot study was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Android-based Bugs n Drugs application for reporting antimicrobial susceptibility testing in Nigeria.
Methods: This was an exploratory cross-sectional study of laboratories that enrolled to use the Bugs n Drugs App, as part of the blended-learning course on antimicrobial microbial stewardship. Bugs n Drugs was collaboratively developed using the Kotlin language. The app was shared using Google Play, while Firebase crashlytics was used to monitor for bugs/crashes. Data included patient description, provisional diagnosis, isolates from specimens and
their sensitivity patterns.
Results: Data included 160 patients samples were collected from 160 patients from twenty-one institutions located in ten Nigerian states. Samples collected included urine, blood, wound swabs, sputum and stool. The average age of patients in the study was 34.82 (±15.45). Common bacterial species isolated included S. aureus (20.00%, 32/160), E. Coli (18.75%, 30/160), N. Gonorrhea (10.63%, 17/160), and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (10.63%, 17/160). Organism with high susceptibility (i.e. ≥ 50%) in the dataset were N. gonorrhea (Cephalexin =100%), E.coli (Ampicillin cloxacillin = 50%), and S. aureus (Erythromycin = 50%).
Conclusion: This study showed the profile of common microorganism and pattern of antibiotics susceptibility from a diverse group of hospitals in different parts of Nigeria. It also reported on the effectiveness of the Bugs n Drugs android app to support real-time monitoring and reporting of antibiotics susceptibility, even in private institutions.
Keywords: Nigeria; mHealth; antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial susceptibility, crosssectional studies.