Evaluation of the Quality of Vaccine Management of Hospital Vaccine Storages in Three Southernmost Provinces (Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat) in 2020

Abstract

       Vaccines are biological products that are used for the prevention of many communicable diseases and they have to be kept in the most appropriate conditions in order to maintain their efficacy. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the quality of vaccine storage management and to compare the mean scores of the standard criteria of hospitals in three southernmost provinces (Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat) in 2020. A total of 33 hospital vaccine storages at district level were assessed using the standard assessment form designed by the Division of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, Department of Disease Control. The assessment consisted of two main criteria: general vaccine management (3 sub-criteria with a total score of 6) and cold-chain system management (4 sub-criteria with a total score of 41). Data were collected from August to December 2020 by the Office of Disease Prevention and Control Region 12, Songkhla; and the respondents were responsible officers for the hospital vaccine storages. The obtained data were analyzed for both descriptive and inferential statistics. Of all 33 hospital vaccine storages evaluated, only 14 (42.4%) met both standard criteria. As for the first criterion, 14 vaccine storages (42.4%) met the standards and most of them (22 storages, or 66.0%) met the sub-criteria on personnel assignment for vaccine storage management and staff training. For the second criterion, 23 vaccine storages (69.7%) met this criterion and all of them (100%) met the sub-criteria for material-equipment preparation and vaccine storage. Although some hospitals have received a passing score for quality vaccine management and vaccine storages, responsible officers should also consider improving the low-score aspects so that the vaccine storage management would be more efficient.