Dataset Information

Incorporating Queueing Theory into a Spatial Optimization Framework to Improve Mass Vaccination Programs.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Mass vaccination is a cornerstone of public health emergency preparedness and response. However, injudicious placement of vaccination sites can lead to the formation of long waiting lines or queues, which discourages individuals from waiting to be vaccinated and may thus jeopardize the achievement of public health targets. Queueing theory offers a framework for modeling queue formation at vaccination sites and its effect on vaccine uptake.

Methods

We developed an algorithm that integrates queueing theory within a spatial optimization framework to optimize the placement of mass vaccination sites. The algorithm was built and tested using data from a mass canine rabies vaccination campaign in Arequipa, Peru. We compared expected vaccination coverage and losses from queueing (i.e., attrition) for sites optimized with our queue-conscious algorithm to those obtained from a queue-naive version of the same algorithm.

Results

Sites placed by the queue-conscious algorithm resulted in 9-19% less attrition and 1-2% higher vaccination coverage compared to sites placed by the queue-naive algorithm. Compared to the queue-naive algorithm, the queue-conscious algorithm favored placing more sites in densely populated areas to offset high arrival volumes, thereby reducing losses due to excessive queueing. These results were not sensitive to misspecification of queueing parameters or relaxation of the constant arrival rate assumption.

Conclusion

One should consider losses from queueing to optimally place mass vaccination sites, even when empirically derived queueing parameters are not available. Due to the negative impacts of excessive wait times on participant satisfaction, reducing queueing attrition is also expected to yield downstream benefits and improve vaccination coverage in subsequent mass vaccination campaigns.

SUBMITTER: Xie S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11213063 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Enhancing Mass Vaccination Programs with Queueing Theory and Spatial Optimization.

Xie Sherrie S Rieders Maria M Changolkar Srisa S Bhattacharya Bhaswar B BB Diaz Elvis W EW Levy Michael Z MZ Castillo-Neyra Ricardo R

medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences 20240709

<h4>Background</h4>Mass vaccination is a cornerstone of public health emergency preparedness and response. However, injudicious placement of vaccination sites can lead to the formation of long waiting lines or <i>queues</i>, which discourages individuals from waiting to be vaccinated and may thus jeopardize the achievement of public health targets. Queueing theory offers a framework for modeling queue formation at vaccination sites and its effect on vaccine uptake.<h4>Methods</h4>We developed an ...[more]

PMID: 38947058

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