Setting up the Largest Mass Vaccination Center in Europe: The One-Physician One-Nurse Protocol

Abstract

To manage mass vaccination without impacting medical resources dedicated to care, we proposed a new model of Mass Vaccination Centers (MVC) functioning with minimum attending staffing requirements. The MVC was under the supervision of one medical coordinator, one nurse coordinator, and one operational coordinator. Students provided much of the other clinical support. Healthcare students were involved in medical and pharmaceutical tasks, while non-health students performed administrative and logistical tasks. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study to describe data concerning the vaccinated population within the MVC and the number and type of vaccines used. A patient satisfaction questionnaire was collected to determine patient perception of the vaccination experience. From 28 March to 20 October 2021, 501,714 vaccines were administered at the MVC. A mean rate of 2951 ± 1804 doses were injected per day with a staff of 180 ± 95 persons working every day. At peak, 10,095 injections were given in one day. The average time spent in the MVC was 43.2 ± 15 min (time measured between entry and exit of the structure). The average time to be vaccinated was 26 ± 13 min. In total, 4712 patients (1%) responded to the satisfaction survey. The overall satisfaction with the organization of the vaccination was 10 (9–10) out of 10. By using one attending physician and one nurse to supervise a staff of trained students, the MVC of Toulouse optimized staffing to be among the most efficient vaccination centers in Europe.

Keywords

• mass vaccination
• COVID-19
• disaster medicine
• health planning organizations