What you will find in a SenseAnywhere temperature mapping report
Stability Chambers that meet ICH guidelines for pharmaceutical stability testing
Pharmacy Temperature Monitoring: Safe and Effective Storage of pharmaceuticals
Monitoring your pharmacy fridges through effective pharmacy temperature monitoring ensures the safety, stability, and efficacy of medicines in storage. Temperatures in pharmacy fridges as well as rooms in which medicines are stored, at a minimum, should be checked on a daily basis. Pharmacy fridges, for most medicines that require refrigeration, should be set to between 2°C and 8°C. Medicines that can be stored at ambient, or room temperatures should not exceed 25°C.
Patient safety and medication efficiency is, of course, the key objective for manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and healthcare professionals administering medicines to patients. This can be easily obtained through the implementation of automated, cloud-based systems for accurate, 24/7 temperature monitoring.
This article will cover:
- Typical storage of medicines within pharmacy fridges
- Best practices for pharmacy temperature monitoring
- Manual and digital monitoring methods
- The Withnell Sensors solution
Temperature storage in a pharmacy refrigerator
A pharmacy fridge is essential for the safe storage of refrigerated medicinal products. Its fan-circulated air maintains a uniform temperature throughout the fridge and enables rapid temperature recovery after the door is opened features that differentiate pharmacy fridges from standard commercial refrigerators.
Many pharmacy fridges are lockable and often include glass doors or windows, providing clear visibility of stock levels while preventing storage of non-medicinal items. Storing non-medicinal products is discouraged due to the risk of cross-contamination.
Implementing effective pharmacy temperature monitoring ensures that these conditions are consistently maintained. This protects the stability, efficacy, and regulatory compliance of all stored medicines and helps pharmacies maintain proper temperature logs, detect deviations early, and safeguard patient safety.
How should you check your medical or pharmacy fridge temperature?
For optimal practice, pharmacy fridge temperature monitoring should adhere to EU Good Distribution Practice (GDP) Guidelines. At a minimum, a daily temperature check provides some assurance that medicines are being stored correctly. However, it is recommended to log temperatures at hourly intervals because fridge temperatures naturally fluctuate throughout the day as staff access medication.
If temperatures are only recorded once per day, these fluctuations may be missed, potentially compromising the stability and efficacy of medicines. Pharmacy fridge temperature monitoring should be carried out using a calibrated electronic min/max thermometer or temperature sensor. The MHRA advises measuring fridge temperatures with a sensor that has an accuracy of ±0.5°C to ensure reliable readings and compliance.
What’s the best way to monitor your pharmacy fridge temperature?
Manual vs Digital Temperature Monitoring
There are two different ways a pharmacy can approach the checking of a medicine fridge temperature.
Manual fridge temperature monitoring:
Dedicated staff can perform manual temperature checks using a thermometer or temperature sensor with a real-time display. While effective, this method has several limitations:
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Staff time can be significant in larger organisations, increasing costs.
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Human error can lead to inconsistent readings or inaccurate logs.
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Manual checks do not prevent temperature excursions. Although some fridges have alarms, the best practice is to have an alarm system that alerts stakeholders immediately, even remotely.
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Opening the fridge door for manual checks naturally disrupts temperature stability.
Digital pharmacy temperature monitoring
Choosing a digital solution for your pharmacy fridge temperature monitoring removes these setbacks. A digital temperature monitoring system essentially does the work for you by automatically recording pharmacy fridge temperatures at set intervals. Benefits include:
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Eliminating human error and the need for staff time.
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Continuous monitoring with automatic data logging for compliance purposes.
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Alarm settings that notify staff of deviations before medicines are compromised.
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Maintaining fridge temperature stability by reducing door openings.
Implementing a digital pharmacy temperature monitoring system ensures complete compliance, protects medicinal product stability, and ultimately safeguards patient safety.
Find the right pharmacy temperature monitoring solution
We offer a range of market-leading solutions for pharmacy fridge temperature monitoring, trusted by healthcare and pharmaceutical organisations worldwide. Pharmacy refrigerators are crucial in serving and protecting public health, we recognise this, which is why we encourage you to explore our pharmacy temperature monitoring solutions or chat with us to find the right data logger for you!
One example is the SenseAnywhere Airosensor, which comes with an abundance of benefits:
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10-year battery life and reliable, long-term performance
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Smart device access 24/7, allowing instant temperature checks
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Modifiable alarm system with Email or SMS alerts if temperatures fall outside set parameters
This system provides a secure, automated solution for maintaining the stability, safety, and compliance of your medicines.
To learn more about all of the benefits of this system follow the link below, or get in touch to discuss your 7-day free trial.
