Documenting Vaccine Introductions: A Guide for Developing Case Studies and Human Interest Stories

"During each vaccine introduction, national immunization programs learn valuable lessons about what works and what doesn't work. Unfortunately, in the resource-scare world of global public health, documentation of programs and strategies is often neglected."

The purpose of this guide is to give step-by-step instruction on how to develop a case study and/or human interest story about a vaccine introduction. It is premised on observations such this one: "[T]he lessons learned by national immunization programs often have implications for the broader international immunization community. Without the documentation of key findings, other individuals and organizations cannot benefit from the lessons learned by their counterparts in other countries." For the purposes of this guide, in the context of vaccine introduction, the distinction between the two approaches to documentation are as follows:

• A case study provides an analysis of the vaccine introduction process. It helps answer questions about why the vaccine was introduced and how the vaccine introduction was implemented, which are topics not often captured by other types of documentation and research. Depending on its intended audience and purpose, the case study can either focus on a particular phase of the introduction (e.g., the decision-making phase, the planning phase, or the implementation phase) or cover all phases of a vaccine introduction. "The rigor of the methods and detail in which the introduction is described will depend on the intended audience and use. For example, if the case study is being prepared for a peer-reviewed journal article, the methodology would be different than if the case study was being prepared as a concise two-page document that can be distributed to the general public health community."
• A human interest story documents the experiences of individuals who are affected by a vaccine introduction or individuals living in areas where a vaccine still has not been introduced. This type of story is designed to help "personalize the impact of the vaccine. For example, a story about a family affected by polio first learning that a polio vaccine has been discovered and what that discovery means to them would be considered a human interest story."

Any individual or team who would like to document the introduction of a vaccine can use this guide, which is divided into the following sections:

• Section 1. Deciding which type of documentation to use, which is meant to help the reader decide which type of story (case study, human interest, or both) he or she would like to develop. It describes what case studies and human interest stories are, the purpose of developing them, and how both of the stories can be used. It is noted that the choice of the type(s) of story developed will depend on the purpose for developing and telling the story and the desired outcome of the individual or team initiating the story. "Note that case studies and human interest stories can be complementary, and so it is possible that you will want to develop both. For example, a case study on the decision-making process for the introduction of the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) could be complemented by a human interest story about a passionate pediatrician who advocated for the rapid introduction of IPV in order to ensure that the children in his/her country would have even stronger protection against poliovirus."
• Section 2. The steps of developing a case study, which gives specific, step-by-step guidance on how to develop a case study related to a vaccine introduction. Steps involve: (i) Determine the purpose, audience, scope, and themes of the case study; (ii) Determine the format of the case study; (iii) Draft a clear scope of work and action plan; (iv) Collect data and information (e.g., by conducting meetings, interviews, and focus groups); (v) Develop the case study deliverables; and (vi) Disseminate the case study (A list of popular media outlets and channels to consider can be found in Annex 4.)
• Section 3. The steps of developing a human interest story, which includes steps as above and specific tips such as: "Brainstorm different themes you want to explore in your human interest story....However, ...[i]f you uncover a particularly compelling story during an interview, you should consider exploring it even if it isn't in line with the original theme you decided to write about." Ideas suggested here are: a mother describing what it is like to take care of a sick child, an advocate recounting the challenges he/she faced in getting a vaccine introduced, a family explaining the economic burden of seeking treatment for a vaccine-preventable disease, and a vaccinator describing their motivation for becoming a vaccinator.
• Annex 1. Sample interview questions for case studies and human interest stories, including questions that were developed for a specific vaccine (IPV) but can be adapted to any other vaccine being documented.
• Annex 2. Example case studies about vaccine introductions - e.g., a peer-reviewed article on decision-making about the introduction of IPV into the routine immunisation schedule in South Africa.
• Annex 3. Example human interest stories on vaccine introductions - e.g., a blog post from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) about IPV introduction from parents who have polio.
• Annex 4. Potential channels for dissemination

The ultimate message: "If you don't publish it, it doesn't exist."