Safely store vaccines, bloods, insulins and medicines

Keeping patients and staff safe in today’s high risk environment is more challenging than ever. But there’s one area where you can significantly reduce your risk — while saving valuable staff time.

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care imposes strict standards which can be hard for a busy hospital to meet at the best of times. But when it comes to safely managing the storage of temperature-sensitive product like vaccines and medicines, there is a tool that can make life infinitely easier — and safer.

No people, no paper

Under the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (Action 4.14), health organisations must continuously monitor and maintain the integrity of temperature-sensitive medicines. This includes taking regular audits of storage facilities and recording action taken in the event of a cold chain breach or temperature excursion.

But manual temperature recording across multiple units takes time, can be inaccurate and unreliable, and may not always protect against product deterioration or stock loss. It also increases the chances of staff touching contaminated surfaces or paperwork, which is far from ideal in the current pandemic.

Take prompt corrective action with real-time data

A best practice automated temperature monitoring system uses core sensors to wirelessly transmit temperatures across multiple units and sites to the cloud in real-time, where data is securely stored and can be accessed anywhere, anytime.

Sensors are discreetly and securely fitted to refrigeration units, ambient environments and freezers. They should simulate core product temperatures and be calibrated to a safe temperature range for the product being stored. This will safeguard highly sensitive product from freeze damage or overheating.

When a piece of equipment moves out of safe range, an alarm is generated to alert staff, whether they are on or off site. This means staff can identify potential problems early and act fast to relocate stock or arrange equipment maintenance if needed.

Easier auditing and compliance

A digital temperature monitoring system also provides a complete, verified, digital record of how medicines have been stored and how any issues have been dealt with, supporting compliance with NSQHS requirements.

Time is saved from manual retrieval of paper records and instead, staff can quickly run reports from anywhere to satisfy audit requirements — across multiple units, departments and sites.

Chosen by leading health institutions worldwide

Health institutions such as the Monash Health Translation Precinct (MHTP) in Australia and the Royal Liverpool University Hospital in the UK rely on their Monika temperature monitoring system to protect their patients, their staff and their stock.

For these institutions, Monika has improved quality control of valuable perishable products stored throughout their facilities, giving staff the peace of mind — and freeing up more time — to focus on their essential clinical care or research duties.

The MHTP uses Monika’s live temperature monitoring across 122 units that store numerous vaccines and specimens. This includes more than 30 freezers that are monitored to -80 degrees celsius.

For the last 15 years, Monika has also continuously monitored chilled/frozen samples and ambient product storage across 40+ units at Royal Liverpool University Hospital. Shakeel Herwitker, Assistant Director of Pharmacy describes the system as a “critical support mechanism”.

“It makes it easier to keep on top of the strict medicines-related storage guidelines, so I can focus on my day-to-day work. As well as the immediate benefits, over the years it has more than paid for itself by preventing expensive product wastage,” says Shakeel.

Monika has provided temperature monitoring solutions to healthcare and foodservice institutions worldwide since the early 1990s. Our product simulation technology originated from research conducted in an accredited laboratory into 100+ different product types.

For more information contact 1300 857 025, info@monika.com.au, www.monika.com.au.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Joe McUbed