Bryan A Norman1, Jayant Rajgopal1, Jung Lim1, Katrin Gorham2, Leila Haidari3, Shawn T Brown4, Bruce Y Lee5. 1. Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States. 2. Public Health Computational and Operations Research (PHICOR), Pittsburgh, PA (formerly) and Baltimore, MD (currently), United States; International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States. 3. Public Health Computational and Operations Research (PHICOR), Pittsburgh, PA (formerly) and Baltimore, MD (currently), United States; Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States. 4. Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States. 5. Public Health Computational and Operations Research (PHICOR), Pittsburgh, PA (formerly) and Baltimore, MD (currently), United States; International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States. Electronic address: brucelee@jhu.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Within a typical vaccine supply chain, vaccines are packaged into individual cylindrical vials (each containing one or more doses) that are bundled together in rectangular "inner packs" for transport via even larger groupings such as cold boxes and vaccine carriers. The variability of vaccine inner pack and vial size may hinder efficient vaccine distribution because it constrains packing of cold boxes and vaccine carriers to quantities that are often inappropriate or suboptimal in the context of country-specific vaccination guidelines. METHODS: We developed in Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA) a spreadsheet model that evaluated the impact of different packing schemes for the Benin routine regimen plus the introduction of the Rotarix vaccine. Specifically, we used the model to compare the current packing scheme to that of a proposed modular packing scheme. RESULTS: Conventional packing of a Dometic RCW25 that aims to maximize fully-immunized children (FICs) results in 123 FICs and a packing efficiency of 81.93% compared to a maximum of 155 FICs and 94.1% efficiency for an alternative modular packaging system. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis suggests that modular packaging systems could offer significant advantages over conventional vaccine packaging systems with respect to space efficiency and potential FICs, when they are stored in standard vaccine carrying devices. This allows for more vaccines to be stored within the same volume while also simplifying the procedures used by field workers to pack storage devices. Ultimately, modular packaging systems could be a simple way to help increase vaccine coverage worldwide.
BACKGROUND: Within a typical vaccine supply chain, vaccines are packaged into individual cylindrical vials (each containing one or more doses) that are bundled together in rectangular "inner packs" for transport via even larger groupings such as cold boxes and vaccine carriers. The variability of vaccine inner pack and vial size may hinder efficient vaccine distribution because it constrains packing of cold boxes and vaccine carriers to quantities that are often inappropriate or suboptimal in the context of country-specific vaccination guidelines. METHODS: We developed in Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA) a spreadsheet model that evaluated the impact of different packing schemes for the Benin routine regimen plus the introduction of the Rotarix vaccine. Specifically, we used the model to compare the current packing scheme to that of a proposed modular packing scheme. RESULTS: Conventional packing of a Dometic RCW25 that aims to maximize fully-immunized children (FICs) results in 123 FICs and a packing efficiency of 81.93% compared to a maximum of 155 FICs and 94.1% efficiency for an alternative modular packaging system. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis suggests that modular packaging systems could offer significant advantages over conventional vaccine packaging systems with respect to space efficiency and potential FICs, when they are stored in standard vaccine carrying devices. This allows for more vaccines to be stored within the same volume while also simplifying the procedures used by field workers to pack storage devices. Ultimately, modular packaging systems could be a simple way to help increase vaccine coverage worldwide.
Authors: Bryan A Norman; Sevnaz Nourollahi; Sheng-I Chen; Shawn T Brown; Erin G Claypool; Diana L Connor; Michelle M Schmitz; Jayant Rajgopal; Angela R Wateska; Bruce Y Lee Journal: Vaccine Date: 2013-09-07 Impact factor: 3.641
Authors: Tina-Marie Assi; Korngamon Rookkapan; Jayant Rajgopal; Vorasith Sornsrivichai; Shawn T Brown; Joel S Welling; Bryan A Norman; Diana L Connor; Sheng-I Chen; Rachel B Slayton; Yongjua Laosiritaworn; Angela R Wateska; Stephen R Wisniewski; Bruce Y Lee Journal: Vaccine Date: 2012-04-24 Impact factor: 3.641
Authors: Leila A Haidari; Diana L Connor; Angela R Wateska; Shawn T Brown; Leslie E Mueller; Bryan A Norman; Michelle M Schmitz; Proma Paul; Jayant Rajgopal; Joel S Welling; Jim Leonard; Erin G Claypool; Yu-Ting Weng; Sheng-I Chen; Bruce Y Lee Journal: J Public Health Manag Pract Date: 2013 Sep-Oct
Authors: Shawn T Brown; Benjamin Schreiber; Brigid E Cakouros; Angela R Wateska; Hamadou M Dicko; Diana L Connor; Philippe Jaillard; Mercy Mvundura; Bryan A Norman; Carol Levin; Jayant Rajgopal; Mélanie Avella; Caroline Lebrun; Erin Claypool; Proma Paul; Bruce Y Lee Journal: Vaccine Date: 2014-05-09 Impact factor: 3.641
Authors: Bruce Y Lee; Tina-Marie Assi; Korngamon Rookkapan; Diana L Connor; Jayant Rajgopal; Vorasith Sornsrivichai; Shawn T Brown; Joel S Welling; Bryan A Norman; Sheng-I Chen; Rachel R Bailey; Ann E Wiringa; Angela R Wateska; Anirban Jana; Willem G Van Panhuis; Donald S Burke Journal: Vaccine Date: 2011-03-23 Impact factor: 3.641
Authors: Tina-Marie Assi; Shawn T Brown; Souleymane Kone; Bryan A Norman; Ali Djibo; Diana L Connor; Angela R Wateska; Jayant Rajgopal; Rachel B Slayton; Bruce Y Lee Journal: Vaccine Date: 2013-04-17 Impact factor: 3.641
Authors: Tina-Marie Assi; Shawn T Brown; Ali Djibo; Bryan A Norman; Jayant Rajgopal; Joel S Welling; Sheng-I Chen; Rachel R Bailey; Souleymane Kone; Hailu Kenea; Diana L Connor; Angela R Wateska; Anirban Jana; Stephen R Wisniewski; Willem G Van Panhuis; Donald S Burke; Bruce Y Lee Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2011-06-02 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Leila A Haidari; Diana L Connor; Angela R Wateska; Shawn T Brown; Leslie E Mueller; Bryan A Norman; Michelle M Schmitz; Proma Paul; Jayant Rajgopal; Joel S Welling; Jim Leonard; Sheng-I Chen; Bruce Y Lee Journal: PLoS One Date: 2013-05-22 Impact factor: 3.240