Page 17 - Logistics News - June/July 2021

ADVANCED LOGISTICS TECHNOLOGY

monitoring – doesn’t stop once vaccines arrive at their final data to confirm identity, synchronise records and even read
destinations. data on a vaccine credential to confirm first dose information
before a second dose is administered. The less time spent on
Combining tech and data to streamline point of care manually completing paperwork, the more time staff can
We’re familiar with the ‘last mile’ concept in logistics. But, commit to other high-value tasks that are key to increasing
when it comes to achieving an efficient vaccine rollout, it’s vaccination appointment volume. Also, automating data
critical to recognise that this extends beyond the doorway capture like this reduces the risk of data input errors and
threshold and all the way to the vaccination station, which misinformed patient care actions.
could be inside a grocery store or individual’s vehicle in a
parking lot. Therefore, health care providers and others Of course, the digital capture and distribution of
hosting vaccination clinics must have the same visibility into information captured by electronic data loggers located in
distribution operations as traditional supply chain logistics freezers and refrigerators also makes it easy for facility staff
managers. Furthermore, they need technology tools that to monitor and verify that the proper temperature is being
allow them to securely collect, store and share patient records maintained for vaccines on hand without having to physically
(i.e. vaccine credentials), daily vaccination figures, potential check the temperature on a regular cadence. If an excursion
side effects of various vaccines, fluctuating supply levels (to occurs, they will be able to quickly investigate and take
include inventory use/waste) and even storage temperature appropriate actions to mitigate further inventory losses. If
once the vaccines have been delivered. doses do have to be disposed of, patients can be notified before
they arrive for their appointments and rescheduled accordingly.
That’s a daunting challenge when point of care facilities
in national vaccination drives can range from the largest Cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI)-based prescriptive
hospitals and sports stadiums to local pharmacies, schools analytics solutions can also be deployed with workforce
and places of worship. Not all of these sites traditionally have management applications to quickly forecast first-dose
the technology resources needed for real-time data collection demand, inform second-dose appointment planning and
– and not all are digitally connected to government and help define both supplies and labour requirements as vaccine
public health agency databases (yet). availability and appointment volume fluctuate.

How do we link them all to establish a baseline The takeaway
system of high-quality data accessible across such diverse The COVID-19 vaccine rollout is the biggest logistics
administration facilities? In a perfect world, every site would challenge of our generation, but digital solutions exist that
have mobile computers, tablets and wireless printers built will help us succeed. Used together, real-time track and
for health care or enterprise use. RFID-enabled mobile trace technology, enterprise-grade mobile computers and
handhelds can quickly capture data about vaccine inventory cloud-based prescriptive analytics software can optimise L O GI S T I CS NEWS
and other medical supplies (i.e. needles and personal vaccine distribution and administration so that we can, in
protective equipment) that have been properly tagged. turn, execute an effective global campaign that will curb
Barcode scanning devices can help staff retrieve a patient’s this pandemic. •

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