Understanding the importance of temperature management
Understanding why temperature management is important for medicines storage
Temperature control and monitoring of storage areas to avoid temperature excursions; ensuring medicines are fit for purpose at administration to patients
Using a refrigerator or freezer to store medicines
Appropriately chosen, well set-up, maintained and monitored fridges and freezers will ensure that medicines are fit for purpose at administration to patients
Storing medicines at ambient temperatures
Taking steps to control and monitor ambient storage areas ensures that medicines are fit for purpose at the point of administration to patients
Temperature control whilst transporting medicines
Managing the temperature of medicines during transport (short term storage) is as important as it is during long term storage
Managing temperature excursions
Where temperature excursions occur, follow a defined process to manage and mitigate the effects on medicines
Monitoring temperature-controlled storage
Monitoring the storage temperature of medicines
Good monitoring systems can help identify problems quickly so that action can be taken promptly to protect the medicines from temperature excursions
Using temperature sensors in medicines storage areas
Guidance on choosing temperature sensors, recording data from them and requirements for their calibration
Establishing alerts for temperature monitoring systems
Systems that alert staff to an excursion allows for a rapid response and will minimise the time the medicine is outside of its recommended storage conditions
Mapping the temperature of medicines storage areas
Temperature mapping is an exercise undertaken to ensure all points in storage area are suitable for keeping temperature sensitive medicines.
Stability outside the fridge
If you’ve had a temperature excursion for an individual medicine, and nobody else can help, maybe you can find an answer, using our tool.
Refrigerated medicines stability tool
Advice on whether refrigerated medicines can or can’t be used after exposure to out-of-range temperatures. Find entries and build and print lists.