Accreditation practice pointer: cold chain management

GP6.1 C The team member who has primary responsibility for cold chain management reviews the key processes to ensure potency of our vaccine stock.

RACGP Standards for general practice

The team member who has primary responsibility for cold chain management reviews the following processes to ensure potency of our vaccine stock:

• Ordering and stock rotation protocols

• Maintenance of equipment.

• Annual audit of our vaccine storage procedures

• Continuity of the cold chain, including the handover process between designated members of the practice team

• Accuracy of our digital vaccine refrigerator thermometer 

This can be achieved by maintaining a cold chain management policy and procedure.

Maintaining the vaccine fridge temperature is paramount. Practices can use a data logger or digital thermometer. There must be process that enables a written record of all monitoring of refrigerators in which vaccines are stored, including the temperature. Practices can create a template, which can be used to monitor and record refrigerator temperatures.