PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Lava, Juan Bernardo
AU  - Claro, Vergil de
AU  - Quiñon, Maria Socorro
AU  - Labis, Rodney
AU  - Marcelo, Wendel
AU  - Lucero, Miguel Angelo
AU  - Mendoza, Ophelia
AU  - Stan, Laurentiu
TI  - Integrating COVID-19 Vaccination in Primary Care Service Delivery: Insights From Implementation Research in the Philippines
AID  - 10.9745/GHSP-D-23-00202
DP  - 2024 Feb 20
TA  - Global Health: Science and Practice
PG  - e2300202
VI  - 12
IP  - Supplement 1
4099  - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/12/Supplement_1/e2300202.short
4100  - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/12/Supplement_1/e2300202.full
SO  - GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT2024 Feb 20; 12
AB  - Key FindingsExisting primary care service delivery and financing mechanisms offer a practical and viable approach for integrating public health interventions, such as vaccination, within primary care settings.The successful implementation of the integration process requires substantial government support at various levels, active community engagement, and a multisectoral approach to regulations and strategies.Key ImplicationEvidence from this study can serve as a valuable resource for policymakers and implementers, enabling them to effectively design processes and allocate resources necessary for implementing an integrated primary health care system.Background:In 2019, the Philippines enacted a universal health coverage law that aimed to establish an integrated health system centered around robust primary care as a core strategy of its health system reform agenda. Although the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted initial progress in the reform process, it also presented an opportunity to pilot interventions to demonstrate integration in various ways.Methods:We conducted a participatory implementation research study to integrate selected public health interventions into the implementation of the primary care benefit package funded by public health insurance. The study was conducted from October 2022 to April 2023 in the Province of Iloilo, Philippines. Entry points within the primary care service delivery process were identified, and interventions related to COVID-19 vaccination and family planning were implemented and monitored. We used the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) framework to organize the results and present the analysis.Results:The intervention showed substantial improvement across the 5 dimensions of the RE-AIM framework, including enhanced access to health care services, as indicated by improvements in primary care patient registration, family planning services, and COVID-19 vaccination processes, as well as an increase in registrations and first patient encounters. These improvements corresponded to sustained primary care facility participation throughout the study period. Additionally, emergent factors that either impeded or facilitated the integration process were identified, providing insights for effectively integrating COVID-19 vaccination within the primary care health system.Conclusion:Our study provides evidence of the feasibility of integrating public health interventions into primary care settings. It highlights the potential of using existing primary care service delivery and financing mechanisms as entry points for integration. However, further iteration of the model is required to identify specific conditions for success that can be applied in other contexts and settings.