Development of an Online Vaccine Passport at Demonstration Service Center, Office of Disease Prevention and Control Region 7, Khon Kaen Province

Abstract

This study aimed at the development of an Online Vaccine Passport at the Demonstration Service Center, Office of Disease Prevention and Control, Region 7 Khon Kaen. The objectives were to 1) study problems and analyze current operational processes, 2) design and develop a prototype, 3) try out the prototype, and 4) evaluate processes. The research employed a research and development (R&D) methodology, divided into four phases: phase 1 problem analysis (R1), phase 2 prototype design and development (D1), consisting of two stages, prototype I and prototype II, phase 3 prototype implementation (R2), and phase 4 evaluation (D2). Data collection involved questionnaires measuring utility, satisfaction, efficiency, and effectiveness of the prototypes. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, median, mean, and standard deviation. The Mann–Whitney U test, an inferential statistic, was used to analyze and used to compare two independent groups. The results showed that the conventional vaccine passport issuance process was multi-stepped, required at least seven days, and required contacting the office at least two times. The prototype I developed and tried out between March and April 2022 (34 clients), which still required a seven-day processing time, and contacted the office at least one time. Subsequently, the prototype II was developed and integrated with an online service platform via the improved Line Official Account and implemented from June to July 2022 (51 clients). This innovation reduced the client contact to a single time and shortened the average service time to approximately 20 minutes per client. Clients reported the highest levels of satisfaction, and the innovation demonstrated the highest efficiency and effectiveness. Additionally, there was a statistically significant increase in average satisfaction scores between prototype I (Med=19.74) and prototype II (Med=58.51) at < 0.001 level. The design thinking model, combined with an online service system via the Line official account, could be applied in healthcare units to improve public service.