Roles of Technology Enhanced Learning in Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance among Laboratory Professionals in Public Health Facilities in Nigeria

Abstract

Technology has been found effective in almost all aspects of life. This includes its effectiveness in the field of education through technology enhanced learning. This paper aimed to look at roles of technology enhanced learning in tackling antimicrobial resistance among laboratory professionals in public health facilities in Nigeria. Qualitative research design was adopted for the study. Population of the study included all 75300 laboratory professionals in the North-west Nigeria. Convenience sampling technique was used to select 382 participants as sample for the study. This was guided by Research Advisors Model for selection of sample size. The instrument (open ended questionnaire) was used to gather data for the study. It was validated by experts, pilot study was conducted, and reliability index of 0.88 was obtained. It was found from the study that most of the health care professionals lamented not only they lack modern laboratory equipment but also lack technical knows how to operate the modern laboratory equipment/tools/apparatuses. It also was gathered that vast majority of them use handheld devices (smart phones) with few of them using laptops and in extreme cases desktops computers for learning and other day-to-day activities. Based on the findings from the study, it was concluded that in the 21st Century, collaborations through technology has become imminent. Thus, technology enhanced professional learning will not only help share information about global challenges but also help in providing lasting solutions to it. The study recommended that workshops and regular trainings should be organized to teach health care professionals on how to effectively collaborate, generate and share information through social media platforms.