Heuristic algorithm tool for planning mass vaccine campaigns
Purpose – The planning of massive vaccination campaigns often falls to nongovernmental organizations that have to face the critical challenge of vaccinating the largest number of people in the shortest time. This study aims to provide an easy tool for minimizing the duration of mass vaccination camp...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Emerald Publishing
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management |
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| Online Access: | https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JHLSCM-09-2023-0082/full/pdf |
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| author | Jessica Rodríguez-Pereira Helena Ramalhinho Paula Sarrà |
| author_facet | Jessica Rodríguez-Pereira Helena Ramalhinho Paula Sarrà |
| author_sort | Jessica Rodríguez-Pereira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose – The planning of massive vaccination campaigns often falls to nongovernmental organizations that have to face the critical challenge of vaccinating the largest number of people in the shortest time. This study aims to provide an easy tool for minimizing the duration of mass vaccination campaigns in rural and remote areas of developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents a linear mathematical model that combines location, scheduling and routing decisions that allows determining where to locate the vaccination centers, as well as the schedule/route that each medical team must follow to meet the target demand in the shortest time possible. In addition, the paper proposes an heuristic approach that can be integrated in a spreadsheet. Findings – As the numerical experiments show, the proposed heuristic provides good solutions in a short time. Due to its simplicity and flexibility, the proposed approach allows decision-makers to analyze and evaluate several possible scenarios for decision-making by simply playing with input parameters. Social implications – The integration of the heuristic approach in a spreadsheet provides a simple and efficient tool to help decision-makers while avoiding the need for large investments in information systems infrastructure by user organizations. Originality/value – Motivated by a real-life problem and different from previous studies, the objective of the planning is to reduce the length of the vaccination campaigns with the available resources and ensure a target coverage instead of planning for minimizing costs or maximizing coverage. Furthermore, for helping implementation to practitioners, the heuristic can be solved in a spreadsheet. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cacdbf2650f148ddacf9d169c052469e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2042-6747 2042-6755 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Emerald Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management |
| spelling | doaj-art-cacdbf2650f148ddacf9d169c052469e2025-08-20T03:18:02ZengEmerald PublishingJournal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management2042-67472042-67552025-04-0115212313410.1108/JHLSCM-09-2023-0082Heuristic algorithm tool for planning mass vaccine campaignsJessica Rodríguez-Pereira0Helena Ramalhinho1Paula Sarrà2Department of Statistics and Operation Research, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, SpainPurpose – The planning of massive vaccination campaigns often falls to nongovernmental organizations that have to face the critical challenge of vaccinating the largest number of people in the shortest time. This study aims to provide an easy tool for minimizing the duration of mass vaccination campaigns in rural and remote areas of developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents a linear mathematical model that combines location, scheduling and routing decisions that allows determining where to locate the vaccination centers, as well as the schedule/route that each medical team must follow to meet the target demand in the shortest time possible. In addition, the paper proposes an heuristic approach that can be integrated in a spreadsheet. Findings – As the numerical experiments show, the proposed heuristic provides good solutions in a short time. Due to its simplicity and flexibility, the proposed approach allows decision-makers to analyze and evaluate several possible scenarios for decision-making by simply playing with input parameters. Social implications – The integration of the heuristic approach in a spreadsheet provides a simple and efficient tool to help decision-makers while avoiding the need for large investments in information systems infrastructure by user organizations. Originality/value – Motivated by a real-life problem and different from previous studies, the objective of the planning is to reduce the length of the vaccination campaigns with the available resources and ensure a target coverage instead of planning for minimizing costs or maximizing coverage. Furthermore, for helping implementation to practitioners, the heuristic can be solved in a spreadsheet.https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JHLSCM-09-2023-0082/full/pdfVaccination planningHealth-care logisticsLocationSchedulingRouting |
| spellingShingle | Jessica Rodríguez-Pereira Helena Ramalhinho Paula Sarrà Heuristic algorithm tool for planning mass vaccine campaigns Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management Vaccination planning Health-care logistics Location Scheduling Routing |
| title | Heuristic algorithm tool for planning mass vaccine campaigns |
| title_full | Heuristic algorithm tool for planning mass vaccine campaigns |
| title_fullStr | Heuristic algorithm tool for planning mass vaccine campaigns |
| title_full_unstemmed | Heuristic algorithm tool for planning mass vaccine campaigns |
| title_short | Heuristic algorithm tool for planning mass vaccine campaigns |
| title_sort | heuristic algorithm tool for planning mass vaccine campaigns |
| topic | Vaccination planning Health-care logistics Location Scheduling Routing |
| url | https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JHLSCM-09-2023-0082/full/pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jessicarodriguezpereira heuristicalgorithmtoolforplanningmassvaccinecampaigns AT helenaramalhinho heuristicalgorithmtoolforplanningmassvaccinecampaigns AT paulasarra heuristicalgorithmtoolforplanningmassvaccinecampaigns |