Serious Fungal Diseases: Assessing the Impact of Training Clinicians and Laboratory Scientists in Nigeria
Abstract
Background: Surveillance for serious fungal diseases (SFDs) relies on the capacity to recognize them and request and accurately perform diagnostic investigations. However, knowledge in resource-limited settings is suboptimal. This study evaluated the impact of a training intervention on the diagnosis and management of SFDs among clinicians and laboratory scientists in Nigerian tertiary hospitals. Methods: Clinicians in 6 hospitals were purposively selected and trained in 6 SFDs using standardized modules developed by international medical mycology experts. A quasi-experimental design assessed performance using a pretest and posttest. Designated laboratory scientists received hands-on training with pretraining and posttraining assessments. Paired t tests were used to assess differences in mean scores. An impact assessment of the laboratory mycology records was performed 1 year after intervention using analysis of variance. Results: A total of 149 clinicians and 8 laboratory scientists participated. Mean performance scores of participants improved significantly after training, with the following percentage increases: invasive aspergillosis (25.4%), chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (13.0%), invasive candidiasis (23.8%), Pneumocystis pneumonia (22.6%), mucormycosis (29.5%), and histoplasmosis (20.6%) (all P < .001). There was also a significant improvement in the laboratory scientists' posttraining performance (59.1%; P < .001). The laboratory mycology records reviewed 1 year later indicated a significant increase in the number of samples sent to the laboratory for mycological testing (P < .001) and the number and distribution of fungal isolates identified (P < .001). Conclusions: Training significantly improved SFD diagnosis and enhanced surveillance and patient care. Expanding this model across other low-resource settings is recommended.
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BibTeX
@article{oladele2026serious,
title = {{Serious Fungal Diseases: Assessing the Impact of Training Clinicians and Laboratory Scientists in Nigeria}},
author = {Rita O Oladele and Damilola Akinlawon and Alexander Jordan and Iriagbonse I Osaigbovo and Olufunmilola Makanjuola and Ubong A Udoh and Philip Nwajiobi-Princewill and Yahaya Mohammed and Folake Peters and Tochi Okwor and Akin Osibogun and Folasade Ogunsola and Martin Hoenigl and Jean-Pierre Gangneux and Shawn Lockhart and Tom Chiller and Nancy A. Chow},
journal = {Open Forum Infectious Diseases},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1093/ofid/ofag442},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05747214v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Serious Fungal Diseases: Assessing the Impact of Training Clinicians and Laboratory Scientists in Nigeria
AU - Rita O Oladele
AU - Damilola Akinlawon
AU - Alexander Jordan
AU - Iriagbonse I Osaigbovo
AU - Olufunmilola Makanjuola
AU - Ubong A Udoh
AU - Philip Nwajiobi-Princewill
AU - Yahaya Mohammed
AU - Folake Peters
AU - Tochi Okwor
AU - Akin Osibogun
AU - Folasade Ogunsola
AU - Martin Hoenigl
AU - Jean-Pierre Gangneux
AU - Shawn Lockhart
AU - Tom Chiller
AU - Nancy A. Chow
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/14
JO - Open Forum Infectious Diseases
DO - 10.1093/ofid/ofag442
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05747214v1
AB - Background: Surveillance for serious fungal diseases (SFDs) relies on the capacity to recognize them and request and accurately perform diagnostic investigations. However, knowledge in resource-limited settings is suboptimal. This study evaluated the impact of a training intervention on the diagnosis and management of SFDs among clinicians and laboratory scientists in Nigerian tertiary hospitals. Methods: Clinicians in 6 hospitals were purposively selected and trained in 6 SFDs using standardized modules developed by international medical mycology experts. A quasi-experimental design assessed performance using a pretest and posttest. Designated laboratory scientists received hands-on training with pretraining and posttraining assessments. Paired t tests were used to assess differences in mean scores. An impact assessment of the laboratory mycology records was performed 1 year after intervention using analysis of variance. Results: A total of 149 clinicians and 8 laboratory scientists participated. Mean performance scores of participants improved significantly after training, with the following percentage increases: invasive aspergillosis (25.4%), chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (13.0%), invasive candidiasis (23.8%), Pneumocystis pneumonia (22.6%), mucormycosis (29.5%), and histoplasmosis (20.6%) (all P < .001). There was also a significant improvement in the laboratory scientists' posttraining performance (59.1%; P < .001). The laboratory mycology records reviewed 1 year later indicated a significant increase in the number of samples sent to the laboratory for mycological testing (P < .001) and the number and distribution of fungal isolates identified (P < .001). Conclusions: Training significantly improved SFD diagnosis and enhanced surveillance and patient care. Expanding this model across other low-resource settings is recommended.
SN - 2328-8957
SN - 2328-8957
ER -