Descripción del transporte y conservación de vacunas de adquisición particular

Objective: Describe the transport and storage of privately purchased vaccines. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional observational study. We analysed all doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, rotavirus and varicella acquired and administered between January-September 2009, in a Primary Care Health Centre (CAP) in an urban area. Variables studied: type of vaccine circuit used (circuit A: pharmacy-CAP, circuit B: pharmacy-home-CAP), time between purchase and administration, receipt of information, mode of transport and storage at home. Data collection by questionnaire. Statistical strategy: absolute and relative frequencies, Pearson Chi-square and Fisher exact statistics. Results: Of a total sample of 148 doses, 115 (77.7%) were pneumococcal, 28 (18.9%), rotavirus and 5 (3.4%) varicella. Circuit A was used for 45.5% (67) of the doses administered and 54.7% (81) used circuit B. Circuit A vaccine took less than an hour between their acquisition and administration in 89.6% (60) of cases and those using Circuit B took longer than 7. days in 14.8% (12) cases. A total of 85.1% (111) of parents received information on transportation and storage of the vaccine. Refrigerated means of transport were not used for 85.1% (57) of Circuit A vaccines or for 93.8% (76) in B. The refrigerator door was used to store 59.3% (48) of the vaccines. Conclusions: The pneumococcal vaccine was the most given. Circuit B is more commonly used. Most parents received information about the transportation and storage of vaccines, although more than half were transported non-refrigerated and kept in the refrigerator door.