Docfan Academy

Vaccines and some other medicines lose strength if they get too warm or too cold, and you cannot see the damage. The cold chain keeps them at 2 °C to 8 °C from the supplier to the patient. Your fridge is one link. A broken link wastes money and can leave patients unprotected.

Setting up the fridge

• Use a dedicated fridge for vaccines and other temperature-sensitive medicines. No food, no drinks, no samples, no lunch.
• Keep it out of direct sun, with space around it for air, on its own socket marked "do not unplug".
• Keep stock on the shelves with gaps between boxes. Keep it away from the walls and the freezer plate, where it can freeze.
• Do not keep vaccines in the door. The door is the warmest part.
• Always follow the storage instructions on the label.

Daily discipline

1. Read the thermometer twice a day, morning and evening. Write the date, time, temperature and your initials in the log.
2. Open the door only when you must, and close it quickly. Know what you need before you open it.
3. If a reading is outside 2 °C to 8 °C, do not guess. Set the stock aside, label it "do not use until checked", tell your supervisor and follow your facility's procedure.

Power cuts and freezing

• Keep the door shut. Write down when the power went off and the temperature. Follow your emergency plan, for example a generator or cold boxes with ice packs. Do not move stock without a plan.
• Some vaccines must never be frozen. Frozen and thawed vaccine can look perfectly normal. A shake test, used in some programmes, helps suspect freeze damage. Use it only as your national guidance says, and when in doubt, ask.