Elements of Vaccine Management
Vaccines must be maintained properly to protect their viability prior to administration. Adhering to proper storage and handling procedures will minimize vaccine loss, waste, and the potential need to revaccinate that may result from administration of compromised vaccine. The required and recommended vaccine management and storage and handling policies of the VFC program are based on guidance from CDC’s Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit and other relevant resource materials developed for proper vaccine management. This guidance is intended as the approved standard of care for all public and private sector providers and can be found in the CDC “Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit” webpage.
Success depends on five crucial elements
- Vaccine Management Plan
Vaccine Coordinators are responsible for implementing a Vaccine Management Plan. The plan should identify routine tasks providers and staff must completed to protect VFC vaccines and minimize vaccine loss. It should provide a blueprint for responding to emergencies such as power outages, temperature excursions, and other unforeseen events. It should contain:- Primary and Back-up contacts
- Storage unit maintenance and repair contacts
- Local utility/Power Company
- Generator maintenance/repair
- “In Case of Emergency” protocol and contact information
- Storage and handling training information (date, title of training, employee name, and title)
- Vaccine management plan updates (date, update by, and titles)
- Must be printed and placed on or by the vaccine unit(s)
- Properly Trained Staff
It is important that the Primary and Back-up Vaccine Coordinator fully train staff on routine and emergency vaccine management policies and procedures related to vaccine shipment, handling, transport, and inventory management and have completed You Call the Shots training – Storage and Handling Training. - Vaccine Storage and Handling
Storage units must have enough room to store the largest inventory a provider location might have at the busiest point in the year without crowding. Storage Unit(s) must be one of the following:- Purpose-built/ Pharmaceutical
- Medical Grade
- Standalone Unit
NOTE: The use of dormitory or bar-style refrigerator/freezers is always prohibited for VFC program provider locations.
- VFC Complaint data loggers that are properly Calibrated
A Digital Data Logger (DDL) is a device that provides the most accurate storage unit temperature information, including details on how long a storage unit has been operating outside the recommended temperature range (referred to as a “temperature excursion”). Unlike a simple minimum/maximum thermometer, which only shows the coldest and warmest temperatures reached in a unit, a DDL provides detailed information on all temperatures recorded at preset intervals.
Providers are required to always use a VFC-compliant DDL in each vaccine storage unit and must have at least one VFC-compliant back-up thermometer for use when primary thermometers fail or are sent for recalibration. To meet specifications, thermometers must:- Be accurate within +/-1°F (+/-0.5°C).
- Be digital, with the digital display placed outside the unit to allow readings without opening the door.
- Have a buffered temperature probe immersed in one of the following: a vial filled with liquid (e.g., glycol, ethanol, glycerin); a vial filled with loose media (e.g., sand, glass beads); or a solid block of material (e.g., Teflon®, aluminum).
- Display current, minimum, and maximum temperatures.
- Have a visual or audible alarm to signal out-of-range temperatures.
- Have a valid Certificate of Traceability and Calibration Testing. Arkansas allows up to 2 years between calibrations. Non-calibrated thermometers can be unreliable and record inadequate information.
- Vaccine Storage and Handling
- Vaccines must be maintained properly to protect their viability prior to administration. Adhering to proper storage and handling procedures will minimize vaccine loss, waste, and the potential need to revaccinate that may result from administration of compromised vaccine. The required and recommended vaccine management and storage and handling policies of the VFC program are based on guidance from CDC’s Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit and other relevant resource materials developed for proper vaccine management. This guidance is intended as the approved standard of care for all public and private sector providers and can be found in the CDC “Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit” webpage.
