ArticleEuropean journal of public health2026
Assessing the effectiveness of the integrated sample referral system in Tanzania: insights from a nationwide study.
Article in European journal of public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
A well-structured laboratory network with a reliable biological sample transportation system ensures timely detection, prevention, and response to public health threats. We evaluated the sample referral system in Tanzania from July to December 2020 to identify key improvement areas. The study involved 97 hubs covering 21 of 26 regions. We collected data on management, financing, data collection, monitoring, human resources, equipment, network design, scheduling, and transportation through interviews, observations, and document reviews. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and presented in tables, graphs, and charts. Overall performance was 63.6% (95% CI: 52.3-75.0). Specialized laboratory hubs scored highest, 79.5% (95% CI: 70.6-89.1). Specialized hospitals performed the best in all components, ranging from 68.8% to 100%. Regional referral hospitals were the second-best performers, ranging from 59.6% to 72.1%. Health centers performed least in management (54.8%), financing and costing (32.7%), and data collection, monitoring, and evaluation (45.2%). We found inconsistencies in the performance of sample referral hubs at various levels and components, highlighting the need for targeted capacity enhancement to improve the sample referral system. We recommend adopting context-specific strategies to address the unique needs of each hub level.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.