Evaluating the efficacy of vaccine storage in the general practice setting

Objectives: To describe the implementation of guidelines for vaccine storage in general practice, and their effectiveness in achieving optimum vaccine storage temperatures in fridges. Design: Repeated cross‐sectional surveys over time ‐ phase 1 1996/97, phase 2 1998/99, phase 3 1999/2000. Setting: Central Coast, New South Wales. Participants: Phase 1 — all general practices on the Central Coast. Phases 2 and 3 — samples of practices. Interventions: Each practice was surveyed about how they stored vaccines. A datalogger recorded fridge temperatures over six days. Individual feedback and advice were given. Main outcome measures: Proportion of: 1. fridges maintaining a temperature in the 2–8°C range; 2. fridges freezing; 3. practices with one person responsible for vaccine storage; 4. fridge temperature checked daily; 5. fridges storing no items other than vaccines; 6. fridges with thermometers; and 7. associations between storage practices and fridge temperatures. Results: In phase 1, 102 fridges, and in phase 3, a random sample of 36 practices was surveyed. The findings for phase 1 and phase 3 respectively were: 31% and 50% of fridges were in the 2–8°C range; 36% and 25% were <0°C; one person was responsible in 52% and 53% of cases; 20% and 38% reported daily checks; 74% and 94% of fridges had no extraneous items and 53% and 86% of fridges had thermometers. No statistically significant associations were found between vaccine storage practices and fridge temperatures. Conclusions: Despite improvements in vaccine storage practices, a quarter of fridges were freezing, thereby compromising the potency of many of the immunisation schedule vaccines.