Maintaining a detailed record of the temperature of your facility's cold storage units has never been more important – and the pitfalls of manual logging techniques and digital data loggers have never been more apparent. Learn how to upgrade your logging system in this article.
Many quality improvement personnel within hospitals and healthcare systems are routinely reviewing the efficiency of their operations for facilitywide optimization. One area of focus is the management of storage assets that house vaccines, medications, samples, and testing materials. This article takes a look at how your facility can take a rejuvenated approach to the role that refrigeration and freezer temperature logging plays in patient care and how to streamline temperature-sensitive asset management for more effective operations.
Disadvantages of Manual Temperature Logging and Digital Data Loggers
Manual temperature logging has been a necessary step when automated systems are absent. However, manual methods create the potential for user error, unrecorded events, and inconsistent reporting. Today's regulatory standards for medication, vaccine, and other temperature-sensitive asset management have become more stringent than what manual logging can provide.
A step up from manual logging, digital data loggers do offer improvements over traditional, manual methods, but they are not without their flaws. One significant issue is the potential for technical failures, such as battery depletion or software glitches, which can result in gaps in temperature data. Digital data loggers also often require manual downloading and analysis of data, which can be time-consuming and may still involve human error.
Without real-time alerts, staff may not be aware of temperature excursions until it is too late to take corrective action. Furthermore, the initial setup and ongoing maintenance of these devices can be complex and resource-intensive, adding to the operational burden on healthcare facilities.
When to Upgrade to Automated Temperature Monitoring
Hospitals have to comply with federal, state, and local standards as well as manufacturer specifications and an ever-changing landscape of research and protocols. As soon as temperature-sensitive assets are received by a hospital, the monitoring efforts for temperature control, inventory management, and storage monitoring must be tracked. Without automated monitoring, facilities run the risk of issues such as untracked equipment failure or compromised medication efficacy. For example, epinephrine can lose up to 64% of their efficacy if exposed to repeated heating and cooling brought about by an unregulated refrigeration unit – potentially putting patients suffering from anaphylaxis in grave danger. Furthermore, medications such as Pfizer BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine is stored at temperatures far below freezing, and once thawed above 45 °F (8 °C) cannot be re-frozen for later use, meaning that an out-of-range refrigeration unit could potentially make critical doses of the vaccine unusable.
Regulatory protocols require that the conditions for medications and vaccines – including temperature, access, and duration of storage – need to be monitored and documented. Where manual logging and digital data loggers require dedicated staff time, automated monitoring can consistently track temperature, monitor access, and store the information to create compliance reports as needed.
Regardless of your facility's treatment focus, creating a refrigeration or freezer temperature-control strategy and defining the protocols for cold asset management are useful measures to modernize and streamline resources. Automated monitoring systems can free up valuable staff time, increase compliance, and support better patient care by ensuring the integrity of medication, vaccines, and medical devices.
Automated Refrigeration Monitoring Solutions for Your Facility
OneVue Sense® provides monitoring solutions that can help track refrigeration conditions with precision. When combined with the web-based OneVue® software, OneVue Sense technology is part of an integrated monitoring system that provide alerts by email, text, or phone if conditions rise above or fall under set parameters. In addition, the web-based software platform allows for around-the-clock data access and customized, on-demand reporting capabilities for simple data viewing and simple proof of compliance. OneVue Sense eliminates the need for manual recording while maintaining accurate data records and the ability to demonstrate policy or regulatory compliance.
The OneVue Sense portfolio includes technology with temperature probes and thermobuffers for targeted Temperature Monitoring, as well as a Temperature and Humidity (ambient air) Monitoring solution. Each option provides additional versatility to help temperature monitoring and IAQ monitoring goals. Additional solutions within the OneVue Sense portfolio includes Differential Air Pressure, Water Leak, and Contact Closure Monitoring.
All OneVue Sense monitoring solutions are portable and can be moved to different locations to meet changing demands according to hospital or health system needs. These monitoring solutions are available with battery, AC, or Power over Ethernet (POE) power options to ensure data security during network or power outages.
Sources:
Center for Disease Control: Storage and Handling Resources
FDA: Medical Devices Requiring Refrigeration
