Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39904378›Full record

SynthesisVox sanguinis2025

Efficacy of communication interventions for promoting blood donation in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review.

Bernard Appiah, Lucy Asamoah-Akuoko, Md Koushik Ahmed, Tara Tancred, Yvonne Dei-Adomakoh, Gursimar Singh, Cavan Reilly, Edeghonghon Olayemi, Meghan Delaney, Christopher R France and 7 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Vox sanguinis, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Bernard AppiahResearch Program on Health Communication and Public Engagement (H-COPE), Department of Public Health, Falk College, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA.
Lucy Asamoah-AkuokoCentre for Science and Health Communication, Accra, Ghana.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4166-3834
Md Koushik AhmedResearch Program on Health Communication and Public Engagement (H-COPE), Department of Public Health, Falk College, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2233-842X
Tara TancredDepartment of International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.
Yvonne Dei-AdomakohDepartment of Hematology, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Gursimar SinghResearch Program on Health Communication and Public Engagement (H-COPE), Department of Public Health, Falk College, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA.
Cavan ReillyDivision of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Edeghonghon OlayemiDepartment of Hematology, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Meghan DelaneyDivision of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1089-5787
Christopher R FranceDepartment of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4723-0247
Amma Benneh-Akwasi KumaDepartment of Hematology, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Alfred Edwin YawsonDepartment of Community Health, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Susan TelkeDivision of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Michelle Asiedu-DansoResearch Program on Health Communication and Public Engagement (H-COPE), Department of Public Health, Falk College, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA.
Emmanuel Nene DeiNational Blood Service Ghana, Research and Development, Accra, Ghana.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1750-7049
Philip AdongoDepartment of Social and Behavioural Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Imelda BatesDepartment of International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0862-8199

Funding

Development and evaluation of community-based approaches and donor care intervention models for improving availability and safety of blood for the management of severe anemia in GhanaUH3HL151599 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF GHANA · PI ASAMOAH-AKUOKO, LUCY, DEI-ADOMAKOH, YVONNE · 2022 to 2025
$2.3M
Development and evaluation of community-based approaches and donor care intervention models for improving availability and safety of blood for the management of severe anemia in GhanaUG3HL151599 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF GHANA · PI ASAMOAH-AKUOKO, LUCY, DEI-ADOMAKOH, YVONNE · 2020 to 2021
$470k
NHLBI NIH HHS UG3 HL151599NHLBI NIH HHS UG3HL151599NHLBI NIH HHS UH3 HL151599
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesIn low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), information on the efficacy of communication interventions promoting blood donation is very scarce. The present review aimed to identify specific communication interventions and their efficacy for increasing blood donation in LMICs. MATERIALS AND

methodsThe databases searched were PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL, ProQuest, AJOL and CAB Abstracts. Grey literature sources included the websites of African Society of Blood Transfusion, International Society of Blood Transfusion and World Health Organization. The outcomes of interest were donation attempt or actual blood donations.

resultsA total of 16 studies including nine randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the review. The communication interventions included social media and mass media, such as radio and television, as platforms for promoting blood donation, and newspaper articles or advertisements as an incentive for donor recruitment. Mobile text messages were used either alone or in combination with phone calls, and other interventions such as meetings and brochures. Only three of the 16 studies specifically targeted behavioural science theories, and none of the 16 studies used any implementation science framework. For some communication interventions, there was evidence of statistically significant increases in donations, but the quality of the studies was weak.

conclusionThe efficacy of communication interventions for promoting blood donations in LMICs remains limited due to few rigorous studies. More rigorous, theory-based studies on the use of communication interventions to increase blood donation in LMICs, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where no prior RCT were identified, are needed.

Indexed as

Blood DonorsCommunicationDeveloping CountriesHealth PromotionBlood DonationHumansMass Mediablood donationcommunication interventionslow‐ and middle‐income countries

Identifiers

PMID39904378
PMCPMC12116039

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.