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. 2022 Nov 30;18(5):2073759.
doi: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2073759. Epub 2022 Jun 21.

A time-motion study of the COVID-19 vaccination process in an urban primary health center of Odisha, India

G Alekhya  1 , Prajna Paramita Giri  1 , Arjun M C  1 , Binod Kumar Behera  1 , Sonu Hangma Subba  1
Affiliations

A time-motion study of the COVID-19 vaccination process in an urban primary health center of Odisha, India

G Alekhya et al. Hum Vaccin Immunother. .

Abstract

Vaccination is a critical tool in protecting against COVID-19. It is essential to know the time for each activity in a COVID-19 vaccination process for better management, especially during a pandemic. Thus, we conducted a time-motion study to identify activities that led to delayed/increased waiting time in an urban primary health center in Bhubaneswar, India. We observed 196 COVID-19 vaccine beneficiaries over one month (June 2021) from when they arrived at the vaccination center until they left the center. A data collection form and a Stopwatch were used to estimate the time taken for various activities involved in COVID-19 vaccine delivery. The time taken was expressed in mean and median. We also compared the time taken during the first and second doses using the Mann-Whitney U test. The total mean time spent at the vaccination center was 40:56 ± 20:52 minutes. The activity that took the longest was 'waiting time in queue before vaccination', which was 34:22 ± 20:56 min constituting 82% of the total time. The activity that took longer for the second dose than the first was the beneficiary verification in the Co-WIN portal with a median of 27 seconds and 36 seconds, respectively (p < .001). This study will help program managers formulate better strategies to improve the vaccination process making it more efficient.

Keywords: COVID-19; policymaking; public health; vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The layout of the vaccination center, UPHC, Odisha.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Rating of the COVID-19 vaccination process.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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