Introduction

Pathways for Innovation in Blood Transfusion Systems (PITS) is about achieving a comprehensive understanding of ground-level deficits in the continuum of banked blood transfusion in order to identify consensus solutions that can be tested in a follow-on study. The goal is to understand the stakeholder’s experience for safe blood for transfusion in Kenya.

Our Work

This study seeks to identify deficits in the blood supply in Turkana, Nakuru, and Siaya for different types of patients using the mobile phone technology which offers an accessible means of digitizing paper records.

The research team will also work with the blood donors, patients, blood banks, and healthcare workers to identify feasible solutions to increase the availability of blood for patients.

Objectives

  • Achieving a comprehensive understanding of ground-level deficits in the continuum of banked blood transfusion.
  • To identify feasible solutions to the deficits that occur in banked blood transfusion.
  • Working with the blood donors, patients, blood banks and healthcare workers to increase the availability of blood for patients.
  • Digitalizing paper records using mobile phone technology which offers an accessible means of communicating with the patients seeking blood transfusion.
  • Mapping all the processes involved in making safe blood available for transfusion, to increase mathematical models or computer simulations.
  • Using mathematical models or computer simulations to identify possible interventions that could improve the system.

Activities

This project will be implemented in three counties.

  • Nakuru
  • Siaya
  • Turkana

Impact

This study seeks to impact the society by identifying deficits in the blood supply in Turkana, Nakuru, and Siaya for different types of patients using the mobile phone technology which offers an accessible means of digitizing paper records.

The research team will also work with the blood donors, patients, blood banks, and healthcare workers to identify feasible solutions to increase the availability of blood for patients. We plan to use the findings of this research to map all the processes involved in making safe blood available for transfusion, to create mathematical models (or computer simulations) that would allow us to further understand the system, and select possible interventions that could improve the system

Key Partners

The study is being conducted by a team of researchers from Strathmore University, Kenya, the Centre for Public Health & Development (CPHD), Kenya, and the University of Pittsburgh, USA.

This research is supported by:

  • A BLOODSAFE grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), of the National Institutes of Health, United States.

Developing Great African Leaders


Calvin Otieno Opiyo, Program Coordinator
Email: copiyo@strathmore.edu