Organizational Structure of Vaccination Rooms in the Family Health Strategy in the Municipality of Crato-CE

Abstract

Immunization is a fundamental process for preventing several communicable diseases, being considered an important public health instrument as it can ensure specific and lasting protection for individuals, in addition to being the most economical form of intervention, as it reduces treatment costs related to infectious diseases. This study aims to evaluate the organizational structure of vaccination rooms in the city of Crato-CE, investigating whether the immunization sector complies with the standards recommended by the Ministry of Health and what are the difficulties that make the correct organization of vaccination rooms unfeasible. It is a descriptive study, with a quantitative approach, developed in 13 vaccination rooms of the Family Health Strategies, in the urban area, in the city of Crato-CE. To collect data, a checklist composed of four topics relating to the organization of vaccination rooms was used. To analyze the data, we used statistical methods with discussions of the collected data, mainly through tables. The results showed that 76.92% of the units had an exclusive refrigerator. 61.53% changed the coils at the beginning of the afternoon shift. It is noteworthy that 69.23% had two coolers and none had thermometers to monitor the coolers. These are factors that can contribute to the exposure of immunobiological to temperature variations and consequent inactivation of immunogenic components. To minimize these problems, it is recommended to purchase equipment for preserving vaccines and monitoring them through continuing education, especially systematic supervision of vaccinators' activities. The results point to the importance of training professionals, however, more effective action focused on daily supervision is necessary.