Vaccine management practices among healthcare workers in Morogoro, Tanzania: a cross-sectional study

Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice

Research

Domina Asingizwe¹  Jean Baptiste Nyandwi¹  Bonaventura Nestory²  Mackfallen Anasel³ 

[1] EAC Regional Centre of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunization, and Health Supply Chain Management, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda;EAC Regional Centre of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunization, and Health Supply Chain Management, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda;Ministry of Health, Immunization and Vaccine Development Program, Dodoma, Tanzania;School of Public Administration and Management, Mzumbe University, Mzumbe Morogoro, Tanzania;

关键词: Temperature;    Vaccine;    Cold chain management;    Tanzania;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40545-022-00496-y

 received in 2022-10-14, accepted in 2022-11-18,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundEffective vaccine management is essential to maintain the quality of vaccines, minimise wastages, and prevent missed opportunities for vaccination at service delivery points.ObjectivesThis study aims to assess vaccine management practices among vaccinators at health facilities in the Morogoro region, Tanzania.MethodologyA descriptive cross-sectional study design involved health workers from 77 health facilities offering vaccination services. The study population consisted of vaccine handlers and vaccinators working in public health facilities in the Morogoro region. The vaccine management practices were assessed using data collected from ledgers and the Vaccine Information Management System (VIMS). The temperature records were downloaded from the Fridge-tag® 2 and Coldtrace5 devices.ResultsThe findings indicated that 65 (84%) health facilities had functional refrigerators and are using power from 26 (34%), 28 (36%), and 23 (30%) of grid electricity, solar, and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), respectively. Besides, 27 (35%) health facilities have an alternative energy source as a backup. In general, healthcare workers had a good knowledge of cold chain management, including the World Health Organization recommended storage temperatures for vaccines. Furthermore, vaccine stockout was found in 12 (15.6%) health facilities for at least one antigen and 4 (5.1%) health facilities for all five antigens under observation. This current study also revealed that the average calculated vaccine wastage rates for DTP, Measles–Rubella and Rotavirus vaccines were 7%, 19%, and 15%, respectively. More than half of health workers did not perform monthly temperature data reviews. In addition, poor performance led to high wastage rates, including the Rotavirus vaccines, and a change in VVM to discard points. Finally, a small number of 5 (6.5%) health facilities consecutively reported temperature exposure beyond + 8 Celsius (between 5.9 and 281 h).ConclusionsHealthcare workers’ vaccine and cold chain management knowledge were good for temperature data reading and documentation. However, the practices were poor for some health facilities. The gaps observed in this study inform health managers and policymakers toward establishing interventions to improve health workers' knowledge and practice, including mentorships, supervision, and training to guarantee that each child in all communities reaps the benefits of immunisation services.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2022

【 图 表 】

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