Maintaining the Cold Chain

 

Introduction:

The "Maintaining the Cold Chain" course ensures supply chain temperature-sensitive product quality, efficacy, and safety. Temperature control, equipment, and shipping temperature-sensitive commodities are covered. Participants learn about equipment failure, temperature changes, logistics, and laws. Training and procedure compliance are crucial for cold chain integrity. Participants learn to recognise hazards, address common concerns, and maintain the cold chain. Participants should grasp the cold chain process and use safe shipping and storage methods for temperature-sensitive products by course completion.

Storage and Handling of Vaccines

This lesson encourages immunization professionals to ensure proper storage and handling of vaccines for safe and effective immunizations. This will reduce the risk of compromising the quality, effectiveness, and safety of the program, ultimately improving patient service.

Ordering

There should be two trained individuals responsible for ordering, receiving, and managing vaccines: one from the nursing or healthcare worker team and the other from the administration or management team. Everyone on the primary care team should understand the importance of vaccine handling. The clinically trained staff member should oversee training for the administration and management team. Information about responsible individuals and their deputy should be documented and shared with all staff.

Excess Stock

Too much stock can lead to:

• Bad storage rotation, which could raise the risk of giving an out-of-date vaccine.
• Waste and the cost of getting rid of it.
• The dangers of over-packed refrigerators, which can make it hard for air to flow and cause stock to freeze (especially near the walls of the fridge).
• The use of vaccines that are no longer available and/or delay the introduction of new vaccines, which could cause mixed schedules.
• The cost of replacing.

Unused Stock

The vaccine refrigerator can receive any unused vaccines after a vaccination session if temperature monitoring shows the cold chain was maintained. To utilise returned vaccinations quickly, label them with the date and time and put them at the front of the fridge.

Expired Vaccines

Regular stock checks should discover no outdated vaccinations, but if they do, remove them, mark them, and dispose them according to local rules. Never use expired vaccines! If an expired vaccination is used, notify the provider or commissioning agency immediately using the local untoward occurrence reporting process. Re-administering the vaccination dosage typically requires expert assistance.

Damaged Vaccines

Do not use a damaged vaccine, diluent, or immunoglobulin bottle or syringe. Remove it immediately, label it damaged, and dispose of it according to local legislation or report a product fault.

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