Vaccines Administration in the Perspective of Patient Safety and Quality of Healthcare: Lesson from the Experience of an Italian Teaching Hospital for Pandemic Preparedness

Abstract

The development and administration of vaccines against COVID-19 was a key element in the fight against the pandemic, as it protected health systems and helped restore global economies. National implementation plans and vaccination strategies for COVID-19 vaccines ensured the immunization of large segments of the population in the shortest time. However, even before the start of the vaccination campaign, it was clear to decision-makers that the usual methods of vaccination were not suitable. The aim of this report is to share the experience of an Italian teaching hospital in the organisation of spaces and activities of healthcare workers to realise a safe vaccination campaign. An in-depth analysis of how the vaccination campaign was organised could be useful to understand strengths and weaknesses learnt from this experience and plan an effective, efficient, and resilient response to future pandemics right away. The adoption of a systemic clinical risk management (SCRM) could guarantee healthcare organizations a more adequate and resilient response in an ethics of a job well done perspective, allowing them to maintain high patient safety standards regardless of the contingent situation for which safety first should be the motto of a disaster response plan.

Are We Prepared for the Next Pandemic? Management, Systematic Evaluation and Lessons Learned from an In-Hospital COVID-19 Vaccination Centre for Healthcare Workers

“…The overall satisfaction of the vaccination centre staff and the perception of the workload as neither lower nor higher than usual testify to the fidelity of the implementation. Similar to the report of De Micco et al, our results indicate a strong sense of team spirit and commitment by the centre’s staff, hence underlining the role of leadership and personnel management beyond the formative fulfilment of the required tasks [ 19 ]. This aspect is particularly crucial for consideration upon implementing a human resource strategy based on planned duty roster, as Hrehova et al report a relatively higher incidence of self-reported burnout symptoms among HCWs assigned to work at a mass vaccination centre as part of their regular jobs rather than voluntarily [ 32 ].…”

“…The number of vaccine doses inoculated in the centre every day corresponds to the rate in the COVID-19 hospital-based or mass vaccination sites [ 16 , 19 , 20 ]. It should, however, be noted that our centre operated, even in its initial phase, with a rather limited number of personnel for the inoculations compared to the centres described in the literature so far.…”

“…Additionally, the arrival of vaccinees at specific times of the day should lead to further adjustments in the personnel planning in the future, in order to cover the bottleneck timeslots more efficiently. Further, as other case studies have pointed out, an onsite manager who continuously monitors and, as appropriate, adapts the workflow, is highly beneficial to the agile management required in the setting [ 19 ].…”

Sustainable Resilience in Healthcare Delivery: A Comparative Study on Safety Awareness in Hospital-Based and Pre-Hospital EMS in Times of Crisis

“…Our research illuminates the universality of safety awareness among healthcare providers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, thereby signaling a call to action for the healthcare industry. The need to elevate safety culture remains an ever-present objective that necessitates concerted efforts from all stakeholders [33][34][35][36][37][38]. Therefore, the insights from this study act as a clarion call, urging us to continually strive for the advancement of safety culture in healthcare, steering us towards a safer future for all.…”

The State of Play on COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women: Recommendations, Legal Protection, Ethical Issues and Controversies in Italy

“…Moreover, in the initial stages of the vaccination campaign, in the absence of data relating to trials on pregnant women, we believe it was incorrect to provide for compulsory vaccination also for pregnant women. This theme will have to be the subject of discussion and prediction of operating models, to adopt the right behavior in the ethics of a job well done perspective [42].…”