Improving vaccine storage in general practice refrigerators

Abstract

Vaccines are biological products and are susceptible to fluctuations in temperature. In many general practices vaccines are exposed to adverse temperatures.1 2 The aim of this study was to determine whether educating one staff member in each practice about correct vaccine storage conditions and nominating that staff member to monitor the refrigerator's temperature would improve vaccine storage in general practices. A random sample of general practices in a metropolitan division of Western Australia and all general practices in a rural division were invited to participate in the study. Those that already monitored their refrigerators with a maximum-minimum thermometer or did not store vaccines were excluded. Practices were randomised into control and intervention groups, and their vaccine refrigerators were monitored for 30 days with a computerised …