Problem
In order for medical vaccines to be safe and effective, careful transportation at cold temperatures (and sometimes ultra-cold as low as -130°F) is necessary. A batch of vaccines exposed to temperature excursions will be rendered ineffective, costing both the shipper and client to lose money.
Because vaccines are such sensitive cargo, constant and accurate monitoring of environmental conditions is required during transport from the lab to the distributors. This type of monitoring has historically required human intervention at multiple touch points, leaving room for error and opportunities for vaccines to spoil.
Data logging technology has allowed for more accurate monitoring across the cold chain, however gathering, tracking, and recording information from loggers has many inefficiencies.
Solution
To better manage and audit the temperature of vaccines both in transit and at rest in a refrigerator, AndPlus teamed up with Onset to develop a revolutionary data logging hardware plus mobile application reporting system called InTemp.
The InTempConnect app pairs an easy to use mobile interface with temperature logging hardware to automatically record and send data from a physical data logging device to a phone or tablet. This innovation allows for more accurate monitoring and reporting at key touch points along the vaccine transit route, as well as 24/7 monitoring of vaccines at rest in a refrigerator.
Regulations from the CDC require daily recording and reporting of vaccine temperatures, as well as storage of this recorded data for up to 3 years. This type of data collection would normally require manual recording and reporting. However using the InTempConnect app, 50 precise readouts per hour are collected and automatically pushed to the InTempConnect cloud platform. InTempConnect users have the ability to customize their reporting to build organized, CDC compliant views, both to audit the usability of vaccines, and to audit the functionality of environmental-control equipment.
In addition to the automatic data uploading and storage features, InTemp data loggers check temperature alarms on refrigerators, freezers, and transit packages. If a temperature excursion is detected, the InTempConnect app dispatches an alert to users via text and/or email so critical product disposition decisions can be made quickly, reducing and preventing product loss.
Outcome
The introduction of the InTemp data logger and application system revolutionized the industry of vaccine transport, storage, monitoring, and data collection. The InTemp line opened a revenue stream for Onset and created a new standard for the way the vaccine cold chain system operates. In a time where vaccine distribution became especially urgent and occurred in unprecedented volumes, this new technology not only saved time, money, and product, but it also helped contribute to public health and to slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Highlights
Technology Used
About Onset
“Based on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Onset has been designing and manufacturing its data loggers and monitoring solutions on site since the company's founding in 1981.
Onset's mission is to be a global leader in data logger and monitoring solutions used to measure, record, and manage data for improving the environment and preserving the quality of temperature-sensitive products.”
-Onset 2021
