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Temperature Monitoring

Providers participating in any of California’s vaccination programs agree to monitor temperatures in compliance with California VFC Program requirements.

Monitoring storage unit temperatures consistently and accurately plays an important role in protecting the vaccines that protect your patients.

Vaccines are Fragile and Expensive

Repeated exposures to temperatures that are too warm can affect vaccine viability gradually. A single exposure to temperatures that are too cold might destroy vaccines immediately. Both can impact vaccine viability and produce an insufficient immune response in recipients.

Four Factors For Success

Twice daily monitoring of storage unit temperatures helps to prevent vaccine loss and potential revaccination of patients by identifying out-of-range temperatures quickly and allowing immediate corrective action. Prevention of temperature excursions is dependent on four factors:

  1. Well-trained staff.
    All key practice staff who monitor temperatures must be properly trained on data logger set up and use. Staff must know how to record storage unit temperatures and respond to temperature excursions. Convenient online EZIZ training prepares your practice for success.

  2. Reliable equipment.
    Routine maintenance of VFC-compliant vaccine storage units and digital data loggers helps ensure that temperatures remain within ranges that protect vaccine viability.

  3. Accurate and complete documentation.
    In the event of temperature excursions, vaccine manufacturers decide whether vaccines are okay to administer using data recorded on the practice’s temperature logs. If temperatures have not been accurately recorded twice daily, the documentation may be insufficient for manufacturers to determine vaccine stability.

  4. Appropriate action for out-of-range temperatures.
    Supervisors must ensure that appropriate action has been taken for all out-of-range temperatures. Label all affected vaccines “Do Not Use” until manufacturers determine vaccine stability. Report temperature excursions at myCAvax by funding source and follow the manufacturer guidance before administration of affected vaccines.

 

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