Status of cold chain management among health care providers in Qatar: Primary health care center-based intervention study

Abstract

Objective: The study aimed to measure the status of cold chain management among primary health care professionals at primary healthcare centers (PHCC) in Qatar. Methods: A cross-sectional design with pre-post-intervention study was conducted, and 570 primary health professionals were selected from 21 PHCCs using random sampling. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data regarding the status of cold chain system of healthcare workers before and after educational intervention. Results: Of the 570 subjects, 492 (86.3%) participated in the post-intervention evaluation. cold chain management, before the intervention six elements were present in all of the PHCCs (100%), eight were present in >80%, another eight were present in 60–80%, while 13 were present in < 60%. These figures improved to 8, 13, 4, and 10, respectively, after the intervention. Conclusion: In Qatar, The current status of cold chain status among primary healthcare workers had significantly improved after intervention. The practices of health professionals were also found to be adequate. Therefore, it is recommended that all health professionals working in PHCCs should receive mandatory cold chain management training to ensure delivery of safe and effective vaccines in Qatar. Keywords: KAP, cold chain, primary health care center, immunization, PHC, Qatar