Evaluating the Capability and Cost of a Mass Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccination Clinic via Computer Simulation

Abstract

The clinic could reach their target of 15,000 vaccinees with 2 fewer staff members by rearranging staff assignments from "Special" to "Medicare'' and "Cash'' stations. Computer simulation can help public health officials determine the most efficient use of staff, machinery, supplies, and time.

Modelling Mass Casualty Decontamination Systems Informed by Field Exercise Data

“…One partial solution to this problem is the use of computer simulation via operational research techniques. Indeed, large-scale exercises in the US have been complemented by mathematical models of antibiotic distribution centres [8] and mass vaccination clinics [9] with the aim of optimising staffing levels. In the UK computer simulations of mass decontamination systems have recently been performed by Albores and Shaw [10], who took a holistic approach that aimed to investigate resource requirements (vehicles, equipment and staff) necessary to decontaminate x casualties in y hours.…”

Mitigating effects of vaccination on influenza outbreaks given constraints in stockpile size and daily administration capacity

“…Considering that vaccination clinics operate with a finite number of medical professionals for a finite number of hours, however, it is clear that distribution happens in practice based on the number of vaccines that can be administered per day [25-30]. Pandemic prepareness plans devised by county health departments often calculate the necessary length of vaccination campaigns using a formula based on daily administration capacity (e.g.…”

“…A number of resources discuss the administration capabilites needed to distribute specific numbers of vaccines [25-30]. For example, a model by Aaby et al [25] predicted that 316 people could be vaccinated per hour with the aid of 18 nurses.…”

“…Resource limitations are likely to be even greater, and more widespread, in the case of a pandemic [8,20,22-24]. Even in the case of adequate resources, administration capacity is still limited; medical staff and facilities can only give a maximum number of vaccines per day [25-30], and that number may be small relative to the size of the population under consideration.…”

“…[49]), the formulations of which we are aware are not based on daily administration constraints. In practice, vaccination clinics are planned and run based on the number of people that can be vaccinated per day, given the availability and capacity of equipped facilities and medical professionals [25-30]. The concern is that modeling based on the assumptions discussed above may lead to innaccurate conclusions about the effects of vaccination programs on the size or progression of influenza outbreaks.…”