EC Paediatrics

Background: In 2016, India introduced the rotavirus vaccine (RVV) in the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) to reduce the diarrheal disease burden in under-five children. In order to assess the programmatic experience and evaluate the impact of the introduction of RVV, RVV Post Introduction Evaluation (PIE) was conducted in the month of March 2022. The present study aims to document the experience of conducting the first ever digital post introduction evaluation in India.

Methods: RVV PIE was conducted among 14 government mandated states with two districts from each state and one block (planning unit) from each district to include a total of 28 facilities in 28 blocks. The standard WHO PIE questionnaire was adapted to a digital data collection tool for all the levels of health system and responders (National level, State, District, Health facility, Health worker, Caregiver questionnaires).

Results: TThe RVV PIE involved the following major steps- Development of survey tool, training of surveyors, response recording, data collation, data analysis, data visualization and reporting. RVV PIE tool covered the broad thematic areas of programme operations, training, supply chain, communication, innovation, surveillance and COVID-19 impact. Field teams comprised 64 evaluators from 16 immunization partner agencies. RVV PIE tool was used to capture responses from 309 stakeholders followed by automatic Visualization of selected Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Conclusion: The use of digital tools enabled efficient collation, analysis, and visualization of data, providing a comprehensive view of the program's Key Performance Indicators. Overall, the RVV PIE demonstrates the value of evaluating vaccine programs to ensure their success and sustainability.

Keywords: Immunization; Rotavirus Vaccines; Rotavirus; Evaluation

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