Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Apr 19;5(2):dlad045.
doi: 10.1093/jacamr/dlad045. eCollection 2023 Apr.

Implementation research for promoting access and rational use of antibiotics for children: lessons learnt from Tanzania

George M Bwire  1 , Upendo O Kibwana  1 , Lilian Nkinda  1 , Betty A Maganda  1 , Mathew Mganga  2 , Arapha Bashir Nshau  3 , Oliver Williams  4 , Janet Midega  4 , Elevanie Nyankesha  5 , Robert W Scherpbier  6
Affiliations
Review

Implementation research for promoting access and rational use of antibiotics for children: lessons learnt from Tanzania

George M Bwire et al. JAC Antimicrob Resist. .

Abstract

Implementation research (IR) has proved to be a potential catalyst in facilitating the uptake of evidence-based innovations into routine practices and thereby maximizing public health outcomes. IR not only focuses on the effectiveness of the innovations but also identifies and addresses the barriers and facilitators to maximize their uptake into routine practices. This article describes the processes undertaken to implement a research project aimed at promoting access and rational use of antibiotics for children (PARAC). It also provides an overview of the lessons learnt during its implementation in Tanzanian hospital and community settings.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

During the workshop discussions, especially when the stakeholders were formulating actionable recommendations, there were always facilitator (in favour) and barrier (against) sides. However, conflict of interest among the stakeholders is something that needs to be clearly stated (noted) at the beginning of the IR process. For example, during the discussion on whether to include rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) in the community pharmacies, there were conflicting interests between different professionals (pharmacy, medical and laboratory medicine). Some stakeholders thought that including RDTs in the community pharmacies was shifting the role of pharmacies from being dispensing outlets to health centres.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Timeline for implementation of the PARAC project in Tanzania.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Chandra P, Unnikrishnan MK, Vandana KEet al. . Antimicrobial resistance and the post antibiotic era: better late than never effort. Expert Opin Drug Saf 2021; 20: 1375–90. 10.1080/14740338.2021.1928633 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Romandini A, Pani A, Schenardi PAet al. . Antibiotic resistance in pediatric infections: global emerging threats, predicting the near future. Antibiotics 2021; 10: 393. 10.3390/antibiotics10040393 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mhada TV, Fredrick F, Matee MIet al. . Neonatal sepsis at Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; aetiology, antimicrobial sensitivity pattern and clinical outcome. BMC Public Health 2012; 12: 904. 10.1186/1471-2458-12-904 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zingg W, Storr J, Park BJet al. . Implementation research for the prevention of antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infections; 2017 Geneva infection prevention and control (IPC)-think tank (part 1). Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 2019: 8: 87. 10.1186/s13756-019-0527-1 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Theobald S, Brandes N, Gyapong Met al. . Implementation research: new imperatives and opportunities in global health. Lancet 2018; 392: 2214–28. 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32205-0 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources