Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfPro8): Abstract 63 | Published: 09 Oct 2026
Hassan Adam Murtala1, Aisha Adam Abdullahi1, Nasiru Abdullahi2, Ibrahim Yusuf Ibrahim3, Surajo Umar Danja1, Yusuf Danasabe Jobbi1, Abubakar Muhammad Nuhu1, Ahmad Abdulhadi3 , Dami Douglas4, Mimidoo Amase4, Muhammad Adamu Abbas5,6, Abubakar Labaran Yusuf7, Eknath Naik8, Hamisu Mohammed Salihu1,&
1Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Kano Independent Research Centre Trust (KIRCT), Nigeria, 2Department of Genomics and Molecular Biology Research, Kano Independent Research Centre Trust (KIRCT), Nigeria, 3Department of Microbiology, Division of Tuberculosis and Antimicrobial Resistance Research, Kano Independent Research Centre Trust (KIRCT), Nigeria, 4Purpose Africa, Nigeria, 5Kano Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Kano CDC), Kano, Nigeria, 6Department of Community Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Kano, Nigeria, 7Office of the Commissioner of Health, Kano State Ministry of Health, Kano, Nigeria, 8University of South Florida, Florida, USA
&Corresponding author: Hamisu Mohammed Salihu, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Kano Independent Research Centre Trust (KIRCT), Nigeria, Email: Hamisu.salihu@kirct.com
Received: 11 Mar 2026, Accepted: 30 Oct 2026, Published: 09 Oct 2026
Domain: Laboratory Systems Strengthening
Keywords: Clinical trial capacity, research capacity strengthening, ISO 15189, biosafety, Sub-Saharan Africa
©Hassan Adam Murtala et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Hassan Adam Murtala et al., Strengthening the clinical and laboratory system in Nigeria: Evaluation of a multidisciplinary competency-based training workshop. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfPro8):63. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO8-0063
Africa bears a disproportionate burden of disease while contributing a small share of global clinical and laboratory research data. Short-format, competency-based training may help address these gaps, but evidence from Nigerian settings remains limited. We evaluated the immediate learning outcomes of a multidisciplinary capacity-building workshop delivered by Purpose Africa and the Kano Independent Research Centre Trust (KIRCT).
A single-group pre-post evaluation was conducted among clinical, laboratory, and research staff at a tertiary hospital in northern Nigeria. Participants attended a multidisciplinary competency-based workshop covering six domains: biosafety and biosecurity, data protection, DHIS2, ISO 15189 Quality Management Systems, SOP development, and clinical trial operations. Electronic knowledge assessments were completed before and after the workshop. Changes in knowledge scores were analyzed using a paired-samples t-test, with Cohen’s d used to measure effect size. Learning outcomes were assessed using the Kirkpatrick framework.
Twenty-two participants completed both assessments. Mean age was 44.3 (±9.1) years, 73% were male, and 68% had more than 10 years of professional experience. Participants included medical doctor’s/pathologists/clinician scientists (41%) and medical laboratory scientists (41%). Prior exposure varied considerably: only one participant (4.5%) had received DHIS2 training, three (14%) had received SOP training, and none had formal training in data protection. 32% reported no prior formal training in any assessed domain. Mean individual knowledge gain was 1.95 points (95% CI: 1.47–2.44), representing a 13.0% relative increase (p<0.001). The effect size was large (paired Cohen’s d=1.21; 95% CI: 0.83–1.59), with all participants demonstrating improvement.
A short-format, multidisciplinary, competency-based workshop produced significant and educationally meaningful knowledge gains among experienced clinical and laboratory research staff in northern Nigeria. Integrated cross-cadre training represents a feasible approach to strengthening clinical and laboratory research capacity in resource-limited settings.
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