Cmeonette Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 For those who use an automated continuous temperature monitoring, will you please let me know what your process is for recording the functionality of the system? Do you record the temperatures taken by the system daily? Do you also record daily temperatures from a separate internal thermometer or the equipment display temperature?Thanks in advance,Cmeonette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auntie-D Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 We check minimum and maximum daily but don't record as it is stored in the database. We don't have a seperate thermometer - the whole point of continuos monitoring is to eliminate this. The temperature is mapped every 6 months and there is an air and core probe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webersl Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Our system is TempTrak.When we first implemented TempTrak, we compared daily the TempTrak readings/alarms to our thermometer and chart temps and alarm logs for a couple months to be sure that TempTrak caught everything that our existing system caught. Then we discontinued charts, daily thermometer readings, and alarm logs. We did not turn off the alarms that were integral to the storage units - they serve as a back-up to TempTrak now, and are tested annually.Annually we compare the TempTrak readings to NIST.Annually we raise and lower the temperature of the TempTrak probes to force an alarm, to prove that alarms deploy how, when, and where expected.Monthly I review the alarm log screen, and the documentation of the alarm response and I document if the alarm responses have been adequate, and if not, what I did to resolve the issue (training, etc.)When reviewing the alarm response, I also look at the temp graph for the last month to see if there are any trends (there is another screen to look at 1-year trend) - this has allowed us to repair/replace faulty equipment BEFORE the problem caused the unit to exceed allowable storage ranges - based on an unexpected trend or cycle change.Daily, we check the screen that has all the current temps. If they are out of range, they will be red (hot) or blue (cold). Otherwise, they will be black. We checkmark a spot on the daily QC sheet that everything was "black".We do not record temps, because they are in the database. Any documentation is all directly in the TempTrak system (no paper).We do have non-TempTrak thermometers in the storage units (cal'd to NIST annually), but their purpose is for troubleshooting TempTrak if it should become necessary - thier purpose is not for monitoring blood products. We do not record the temps of the non-TempTrak thermometers unless we are in the middle of troubleshooting TempTrak - which is rare to never. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auntie-D Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Oh just to add we are currently using Thermomax which if far from ideal but are switching to Comark soon. I've used Comark before and have found it to be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPruden Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I have a question about this that was brought to mind after attending a session at AABB. Why do we need to record the daily temp of refrigerators if there is either a continuous chart or an electronic monitoring system? We currently have a probe that is connected to the chart, a different probe that is connected to the digital readout on the refrigerator, and 2 different thermometers in different places from which we record the temp daily. It seems like overkill. Couldn't I just calibrate the probes annually to my NIST, verify that the chart is working everyday, temperature map every so often and get rid of the other 2 thermometers and daily recording? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auntie-D Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I have a question about this that was brought to mind after attending a session at AABB. Why do we need to record the daily temp of refrigerators if there is either a continuous chart or an electronic monitoring system? We currently have a probe that is connected to the chart, a different probe that is connected to the digital readout on the refrigerator, and 2 different thermometers in different places from which we record the temp daily. It seems like overkill. Couldn't I just calibrate the probes annually to my NIST, verify that the chart is working everyday, temperature map every so often and get rid of the other 2 thermometers and daily recording?Yes But you still need to check daily that the system is behaving as expected and challenge the alarms weekly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webersl Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Yes But you still need to check daily that the system is behaving as expected and challenge the alarms weekly...Challenge the alarms weekly? I would do it weekly if the mfg of the alarm system or fridge said to, or if CAP or AABB said to, but otherwise, that seems like overkill to me. Have you found that the alarm check fails periodically - frequently enough that weekly is warranted? I'm just surprised. Ours have never failed.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auntie-D Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Challenge the alarms weekly? I would do it weekly if the mfg of the alarm system or fridge said to, or if CAP or AABB said to, but otherwise, that seems like overkill to me. Have you found that the alarm check fails periodically - frequently enough that weekly is warranted? I'm just surprised. Ours have never failed....We're not checking the alarms themselves weekly per se - more that procedure is followed when the alarm goes off. In the UK this is a requirement.And yes issues are discovered regularly where people reset the alarm in out main alarms board (outwith the lab) without notifying the laboratory. The alarms indeed do go off in the laboratory but periodically some poor chap in estates is sent on a wild goose chase...Just out of interest, is your lab staffed 24/7? If it is then you are fine but if the alarm goes off in the middle of the night and noone is notified then wasted blood still has the potential to be used...(at least until the temps are next checked) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webersl Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Ahh, I thought you meant you were forcing the alarms to alarm every week... my bad.I do check the response to alarms - monthly, not weekly - many months have no alarm responses to check, though, because the fridges did not go out of range.Yes, we are staffed 24/7. Also, the system will escalate - send e-mails, phone calls, pages, etc. to different levels of hospital and facilities management (I think that's "estates" in UK talk?) - if the temp problem isn't corrected in a certain length(s) of time. For example, the tech acknowledges the alarm, but does not fix the issue. In 15 minutes, I get a page at home and an e-mail, and so does facilities (repairmen), if it is not back in range in 10 more minutes, the Lab manager gets a page and an e-mail - and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Needs ☆ Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 facilities management (I think that's "estates" in UK talk?) Yes, they are called Estates, but also sometimes Facilities (but, more often "Futilities")!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auntie-D Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Ahh, I thought you meant you were forcing the alarms to alarm every week... my bad.We do challenge ours every week, just to make sure we catch enough personnel. Having the alarm going off routinely and people following a procedure that they are comfortable means that when things do go wrong, product isn't wasted.For example we have a lady - lets call her Janet. She works on the reception and routinely would ignore our alarm challenge as she perceived it as 'just a test'. After ignoring 3 consecutive challenges I spoke with her and explained the reason why we are challenging the alarms and the importance of relocating the blood within 30 minutes. Coincidentally when our flying squad fridge broke she was the one on in the night and phoned someone straight away. 15 minutes later they had returned to the lab which gave them 15 minutes to move the stock to a working fridge. Every time my boss challenges my weekly challenges I point out how useful it is as a learning exercise for people.Of course it sounds like your system is far superior to ours - our's is just terrible to be honest. I am tendering for a new system and hope to go with one that has remote dialing to the on-call person. Would make things so much easier lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webersl Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 OK. Yes. Your challenges are very different from ours. I see why you do it weekly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean Hatton Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 The whole point of automated monitoring is so that you don't have to do it. Ours is monitored 24 hours and we have 24 hour access on-line to all temperatures. We are called if an air temperature falls out of limit for more than 15 mins. We have air and core montored so we don't even think about temperatures too much unless we are called. The equipment is mapped and services annually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auntie-D Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 The whole point of automated monitoring is so that you don't have to do it. Ours is monitored 24 hours and we have 24 hour access on-line to all temperatures. We are called if an air temperature falls out of limit for more than 15 mins. We have air and core montored so we don't even think about temperatures too much unless we are called. The equipment is mapped and services annually.Challenging of alarms is important though to ensure the procedure works. It would be unfortunate to find this after the event. In fact, how would one know if it weren't being challenged? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean Hatton Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 we have lots of alarm calls from our monitoring company, when staff fill up stocks or audit reagents the fridge is open a bit too ling and the temp rises so they call us. I don't feell that we also need to challenge them. But we do also have local alarms if the temp rises for a short period so I think we are covered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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