Installing Pharmacy Temperature Monitoring and Alarming

T&D’s High-Quality Data Loggers Protect Prescription Medications

CAS DataLoggers provided the temperature logging and monitoring solution for a nationwide security company with a pharmacy client. The security company provided standard burglar alarming for the pharmacy, but FDA regulations require accurate records of the refrigerator temperatures and alerting if those temperatures are out of specified range. The pharmacy had 3 vaccine refrigerators that contained extremely temperature-sensitive prescription medicine such as amoxicillin, which required continual monitoring with a high level of accuracy. Manual temperature logs had proved to be inaccurate and time-consuming and provided no alarming in the event of temperature excursions. The security company needed a pharmacy temperature monitoring system in order to meet the needs of their pharmacy client.

Installation

The security company installed a T&D RTR-500NW Wireless Data Collector adjacent to the alarm panel. The RTR-500NW features a relay which is activated by the internal alarming logic. This relay was wired directly to an available digital input on the alarm system. 3 T&D RTR-502 Wireless Temperature Data Loggers were then installed on the refrigerators. Each logger has an external temperature probe which was run internal to the refrigerator cavity. The dataloggers recorded each refrigerator’s temperature with a 0.1°C resolution. The fridge temperature sensors readings were displayed on the LCD display of the datalogger. The temperature data was aggregated by the RTR-500NW data collector and sent to the team of pharmacists via e-mail each day. If the temperature loggers went into alarm state, the base station closed the relay which was wired to the building alarm system. This would trigger a general alarm so that personnel would instantly know that there was a problem with the equipment. The refrigerator monitoring feature allows pharmacy personnel to react to the out of tolerance condition and prevent vaccine spoilage.

Additional Usages

If a connection to the existing building alarm system was not desired, the refrigerator temperature alarm monitor could alert personnel via e-mail or text message. Other options existed to collect and archive the data, (USB, GSM/cellular and manual handheld,) but the LAN interface proved easiest in this case. The pharmacy also configured the base station to automatically download the data via wireless radio from the dataloggers and then send that data via the LAN to the designated e-mail addresses, and the system also provided continuous refrigerator monitoring. Users could also choose to send data to an FTP folder or T&D’s own WebStorage Service for remote access to the data from any web browser. Wireless radio communication between the temperature data loggers can range to about 500 ft (150 meters), and that distance can be extended even further by using a repeater module. Each logger’s memory capacity of 16,000 readings gave 333 days of temperature history when set at a recording interval of every 30 minutes.

Benefits

As a result of installing the wireless temperature data loggers and network base station, the pharmacy satisfied regulatory requirements for continuous temperature logging and monitoring. They gained the ability to react to issues quickly enough to save the vaccines. Together, the medical refrigerator temperature monitoring system prevented unnecessary loss of inventory and lengthy resupply times in the event of a refrigerator failure.

For more information on pharmacy temperature monitoring systems, or to find the ideal solution for your application-specific needs, contact a CAS data logger Applications Specialist at (800) 956-4437 or visit our website at www.DataLoggerInc.com.

Computer Aided Solutions, LLC. dba CAS DataLoggers is a distributor of data loggers, paperless recorders and data acquisition equipment.

We have the industry’s most complete selection of data logging equipment, with hundreds of different models from more than 18 manufacturers. With data loggers from 1 to 300 channels we can record temperature, humidity, force/strain, pressure, flow, voltage, current, resistance, vibration and other digital signals, in connection with serial (RS-232/RS-485), CAN/OBD or SDI-12 devices. We sell directly to end users and also work through a network of distributors and resellers throughout the United States, Canada, Central and South America.

CAS DataLoggers
8437 Mayfield Rd Unit 104
Chesterland, OH 44026

This release was published on openPR.