The Ifakara Health Institute implements an innovative model designed to improve health outcomes for blood donors with transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) in Tanzania through notification and counseling systems.

A member of the Ifakara research team implementing the study, Dr. Moshi Shabani, told the 1st International Primary Healthcare Conference (IPCC) held in Dodoma in March this year that the study’s goal is to develop and test two new interventions.

“We aim to develop and test two new interventions: an e-health notification surveillance system and a supplementary disease information form to be included with the current NBTS Informed Consent. We will evaluate their impact on improving notification rates, PDC, and the linkage to treatment and care,” he explained, adding:

“We anticipate these interventions will optimize current notification and increase the uptake of PDC and linkage to designated facilities for treatment and care for blood donors affected with Transfusion-Transmitted Infections TTIs.”

A dream team implementing the model
Dr. Shabani’s team include seasoned Ifakara Health Institute researchers Dr. Ally Olotu and Dr. Fatuma Manzi. John Lelo Baliyima from the National Blood Transfusion Service and Samoel Khamadi from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) are also part of the dream study team.

Dr. Shabani detailed about the study in an abstract he presented at the IPCC forum in Dodoma bearing the title: “The model to improve notification, Post Donation Counselling (PDC), and linkage to improved care and treatment for blood donors infected with HBV, HCV, HIV, and Syphilis in Tanzania,” or simply the 3HS model.

Abstract on the model published
In a latest development, the presentation was afterward published in the Pan African Medical Journal (PAMJ) Conference Proceedings on April 29, 2024. It was among 67 selected abstracts presented at the conference.

If successful, the 3HS Model study will play a crucial role in enhancing awareness of donors' health status and facilitating timely linkage to healthcare services, contributing to the Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis, HIV, and STIs by 2030.

Read the oral presentation here. 

Learn more about the 3HS Model project here: