NIAMR: Developing and Evaluating a National Integrated Digital Data Capture and Sharing Platform for Enhanced Detection and Monitoring of Antimicrobial Resistance to Improve One Health AMR Surveillance and Management in Uganda
Uganda loses more people to drug-resistant infections each year than to malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV combined, yet the country lacks a working system to collect and share the data needed to track resistant bacteria. The problem is not a lack of microbiology labs—Uganda has invested in those—but a failure to connect them. Data sits in separate systems, often on paper, and never reaches the officials who decide which antibiotics to stock or which treatment guidelines to update. This project will build a single national digital platform that pulls together human health data from across Uganda’s existing surveillance systems, then test whether it actually improves how clinicians and policymakers detect and respond to resistance. If the platform works, it could transform AMR surveillance from a patchwork of underused lab reports into a real-time tool for decision-making. The researchers will also cost the system for scaling to animal health, water, and environmental sectors—creating a blueprint for other low-income countries facing the same data gap. The immediate impact is better information, not a cure, but without that information, no intervention against resistance can be effectively targeted.
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Research Question: “Can an integrated Digital AMR data capture, processing and sharing platform at National scale improve AMR detection and monitoring for enhanced AMR surveillance health outcomes in Uganda? Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an urgent global health concern that makes treating infections difficult, resulting in nearly 1.3 million deaths globally every year. The burden is particularly high in low- and medium- income countries (LMICs) including Uganda where it surpassed deaths due to malaria, tuberculosis and malaria in 2019. Among the key interventions against AMR in the Global Action plan of 2015 and Uganda’s National Action Plans (NAP) (2018–2023) & (2024–2029), is collection of data on resistance and antimicrobial use through surveillance. Such data is critical for routine management of patients to save lives and for driving all AMR interventions. However, as highlighted at the United Nations General Assembly high level AMR meeting, the Africa CDC Landmark report and the Uganda NAP (2024–2029), AMR data remains largely unavailable for decision-making in many LMICs including Uganda despite investments towards microbiology laboratory capacity, e.g., due to inadequate skilled personnel at health facilities and national level, and lack of clarity in AMR data needs. Project aim: To develop and evaluate a national interoperable integrated digital AMR data capture, processing and sharing platform (NIAMR) at national level, bringing together AMR HUMAN health data from various AMR data capture systems to support AMR detection and monitoring for improved surveillance in Uganda and eventually scaling to other One Health sectors (animal, water and environment). Methods: This retrospective study is a 3-year-project to be implemented in five phases: Phase1 – a situation Analysis & baseline assessment of AMR data generation, management, dissemination in Uganda using desk reviews and CEI engagements. Phase2 – development and implementing the integrated NIAMR platform in selected districts with high AMR red zones heat maps to enable evaluation of its feasibility, acceptability and ethical aspects. Phase3 –evaluating the impact of the NIAMR platform on a large scale on AMR surveillance and data usage. Phase5 – costing the NIAMR platform for scalability using a micro-costing approach to integrate all One Health clusters (animals, water and environment). All phases will involve the various AMR CEIs ensuring that the NIAMR meets their data capture, processing and sharing needs. Outputs: Key outputs will be the interoperable integrated digital AMR data capture, processing and sharing platform (NIAMR), a report on the AMR data management situation analysis for Uganda, defined AMR data needs, clarified AMR data governance structures and NIAMR training guides. Outcomes: Data-driven AMR decision making. Impact: Reduced AMR burden in Uganda. Dissemination: Policy briefs for policy makers. Academic journals for researchers. Social media & formal media, MoH & other One Health sectors websites, workshops and National AMR conference for CEIs.
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