Associated organisationsArcta Solutions Limited · The Software for Health Foundation · University of Oxford · University of St AndrewsEurope PMC affiliations are not treated as award recipients or mapped locations.
Funding£3.9M
PeriodOct 2025 — Sept 2028
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
Hospitals in Cambodia, Malawi, and Nigeria will test an open-source software system that links lab results with patient data to track and combat antibiotic-resistant infections. This matters because antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health threat, but most hospitals in low-resource settings lack the digital tools to connect lab data—like which bacteria are present and which drugs they resist—with patient information such as infection source and outcome. Without this linkage, it is nearly impossible to measure the true burden of AMR or assess which interventions work. The project addresses a neglected area: health informatics for AMR. If successful, the enhanced SEDRI-LIMS system could give hospitals, national health programmes, and global policymakers reliable data on infection patterns, antibiotic use, and treatment outcomes. This would allow them to target interventions—such as changing prescribing practices or allocating resources—based on real evidence. The project also builds budget impact models and return-on-investment projections, helping governments decide whether to adopt the system. The result is not a new drug or diagnostic, but the digital infrastructure needed to make existing tools and treatments more effective against drug-resistant infections.
View original technical description
Accessible high quality data is a fundamental requirement for responses to the global health antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threat. Health informatics is a neglected area in AMR research. Linkage of laboratory and patient data (e.g. infection syndrome, origin, outcome) is crucial for AMR burden estimation and intervention assessment. Software to support such linkage, and data management tools to improve utilisation, are limited. To support policy decisions around implementation of digital health solutions for tracking AMR burden / impacts and improving antibiotic use (AMU) / consumption (AMC) at patient, facility, and national levels we propose a project with three interconnected work- packages; software / IT infrastructure development, implementation science-led clinical studies, and health economic modelling. The Wellcome-funded SEDRI- LIMS open-source microbiology laboratory information management system (LIMS) will be enhanced with additional analytics and interoperability capabilities. Processes around implementation of SEDRI-LIMS and subsequent clinical data utilisation will be characterised in healthcare facilities in Cambodia, Malawi, and Nigeria and facility-level clinical impacts collected via ACORN- lite AMR surveillance, prescribing / pharmacy data, and AMU point-prevalence surveys. We will develop budget impact models and return on investment projections for SEDRI-LIMS implementation and also model the economic impacts of improved AMR data utilisation and economic contribution of AMC to future AMR outcomes.
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