Identifying factors that can be used to assess a country’s readiness to deploy a new vaccine or improve uptake of an underutilized vaccine: a scoping review

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Identifying whether a country is ready to deploy a new vaccine or improve uptake of an existing vaccine requires knowledge of a diverse range of interdependent, context-specific factors. This scoping review aims to identify common themes that emerge across articles, which include tools or guidance, that can be used to establish whether a country is ready to deploy a new vaccine or increase uptake of an underutilized vaccine. Design Scoping review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Data Sources Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Web of Science were searched for articles published until 09-Sep-2023. Relevant articles were also identified through expert opinion. Eligibility Criteria Articles published in any year or language that included tools or guidance to identify factors that influence a country’s readiness to deploy a new or underutilized vaccine. Data extraction and synthesis Two independent reviewers screened records and performed data extraction. Findings were synthesized by conducting a thematic analysis. Results Thirty-eight articles met our inclusion criteria; these documents were created using methodologies including expert review panels and Delphi surveys and varied in terms of content and context-of-use. Twelve common themes were identified relevant to a country’s readiness to deploy a new or underutilized vaccine. These themes were: (i) legal, political, and professional consensus; (ii) socio-cultural factors and communication; (iii) policy, guidelines, and regulations; (iv) financing; (v) vaccine characteristics and supply logistics; (vi) program planning; (vii) program monitoring and evaluation; (viii) sustainable and integrated healthcare provision; (ix) safety surveillance and reporting; (x) disease burden and characteristics; (xi) vaccination equity; and (xii) human resources and training of professionals. Conclusions This information has the potential to form the basis of a globally applicable evidence-based vaccine readiness assessment tool that can inform policy and immunization program decision-makers.