Choosing antibiotics in the laboratory, clinic and pharmacy in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo

Introduction: Antibiotic susceptibility testing is used to raise awareness of antibiotic resistance and to monitor resistance patterns over time. The objective of this study was to assess the level of practical knowledge about antibiotics sold in Lubumbashi.
Materials and methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from December 22, 2024, to March 10, 2025. The study involved doctors, pharmacists, and medical biologists working in medical facilities, pharmacies, and bacteriology laboratories. Data were collected through a three-questionnaire survey administered to doctors, pharmacists, and medical biologists in various medical settings.
Results: Generalists doctors have shown that 31% did not use the results of the antibiogram to guide their decision on prescribing antibiotic, sand 35% did not know that antibiotics should only be prescribed if the infection is confirmed by bacterial culture. The specialist doctors responded with 100% accuracy. 91% pharmacists and 59% no pharmacy degree respected the medical prescriptions issued by the prescribers. 100% Pharmacists and no pharmacy degree did not sell antibiogram discs. At the medical biologists, 71% did not carry out quality controls in their departments. 39% of antibiotic discs were neither prescribed nor available in pharmacies. 
Conclusion: In Lubumbashi, the limited number of bacteriology laboratories poses enormous problems in the prevention of antibiotic resistance.