Research, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Department, National Blood Service Ghana Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana
Background/Case Studies: In Sub-Saharan Africa, evidence-based strategies to motivate first-time blood donors to attempt repeat donations are lacking. This pilot study assessed the potential of a WhatsApp intervention to encourage return donation attempts among first-time donors in Ghana.
Study
Design/Methods: Of 130 first-time successful blood donors enrolled, 30 family replacement donors (FRD) and 33 voluntary non-remunerated blood donors (VNRBD) were randomized to receive the WhatsApp intervention; 34 FRDs and 33 VNRBDs were assigned to the control arm. All participants in the WhatsApp arm formed a single, closed WhatsApp group in which all participants received 24 weeks of the same blood donation messaging. The WhatsApp intervention involved messages, audio and audiovisuals to promote blood donation. Control participants received the standard national blood service communications. The primary outcome was a return donation attempt within 6 months of randomization that was assessed via self-report. The analysis was conducted according to the original intervention assignment regardless of adherence to the intervention. Final follow-up was available for 116 (59 WhatsApp, 57 Control); 14 (11%) participants were lost to follow-up.
Results/Findings: Among 116 participants with 6 months of follow-up, there were 13 return donation attempts. In the control group, 4 of 57 (7%) attempted to donate while in the WhatsApp group, 9 of 59 (15%) attempted to donate. Reported return donation attempt was highest for VNRBD WhatsApp (22.6%) subgroup compared to VNRBD control (6.7%), FRD control (7.4%) and FRD WhatsApp (8.7%) participants. The estimated odds ratio (OR) for attempt donation in the WhatsApp compared to the control group was 2.28 (95% CI: 0.61, 8.50; p=0.23) using a fitted logistic regression adjusted for type of donor (FRD, VNRBD) with multiple imputation via changed equations for missing follow-up values. Conclusions: A higher proportion of the WhatsApp participants returned to attempt donation during the 6 months of follow-up compared to controls. This pilot study is the first to assess the potential of a WhatsApp intervention to promote return blood donation attempts in Ghana. The findings from this pilot study have informed the design, implementation, and evaluation of a larger randomized trial to evaluate the effectiveness of WhatsApp messaging to motivate return blood donation attempts in Ghana.
Importance of research: In Sub-Saharan Africa, evidence-based strategies to motivate first-time blood donors to attempt repeat donations are lacking. This pilot study assessed the potential of a WhatsApp intervention to encourage return donation attempts among first-time donors in Ghana. This pilot study is the first to assess the potential of a WhatsApp intervention to promote return blood donation attempts in Ghana.
