Nurse working with medicine in fridge

Compliance Software for Refrigeration Management – in the health care setting

Most of us take things for granted. While that is the case in our day to day lives, we may even take for granted the health, hygiene and compliance requirements and activities that take place in health care settings, particularly in areas that may seem rather routine. 

Working with many clients across many health care settings gives us a unique perspective on the compliance requirements required to ensure a healthy, safe, and hygienic facility. 

One such area we are working with clients is the area of compliance software for refrigeration management. The complexity and diligence in this space has been illuminating and has revealed the dedication and application required by the health care service providers and their partners. 

Understanding the wide-ranging amount equipment that falls into the category of refrigeration is the first item to understand. From domestic fridges to vaccine fridges, ice machines and mortuaries, there are a lot of areas that fall under the umbrella of ‘refrigeration’. 

Compliance Software for Refrigeration Management
Tasks are completed in the field on mobile devices

Each category of equipment requires its unique compliance regime. From the types of checks to the frequency of checks, from the risk associated to human health, to the financial risk if a fridge should fail, each item requires to be managed effectively and with absolute transparency.

In addition to the complexity of managing each type of asset, is the volume of refrigeration assets with many hospitals having more than one hundred fridges across the campus. The requirement then being to understand the type of asset, the number of assets, the location of assets and then to ensure each asset is compliant with the range of compliance checks on each asset. 

Working with our clients, we are delivering compliance software that meets these challenges. From identifying each asset on site, to scheduling each individual compliance task – not simply getting a service sheet for each fridge from the supplier – to ensure and understand that each fridge is compliant. 

By scheduling each fridge (or refrigeration asset to be more accurate) to have its checks, this allows clients to ensure that each check (up to 30 checks per fridge / freezer) has been completed and then to understand if it remains within the acceptable range. The granular level of detail is essential to ensure that each asset is compliant and is able to remain within service. 

Using the compliance software for refrigeration management, our clients are happy with the ‘proof of presence’ component that is provided and has been well received during investigations and audits, that the software captures whether the engineer was physically at the location of the fridge at the time of inspections. 

With all of the compliance requirements identified above, reporting can prove difficult. In working with our clients, one of the key drivers of them adopting the compliance software, is the requirement for streamlined reporting, efficient, but urgent fault reporting and high-level understanding of the situation in real-time, with the ability to dive into the detail where required. Our clients value the exception reporting of the system that allow for the management team to understand the few problems out of the thousands of results that are completed. This has significantly cut down the review and reporting times and allows for quick actions to be undertaken. 

Compliance Software for Refrigeration Management
Data allows for macro & micro management

The reports and customisable dashboards have been instrumental in providing transparency for all refrigeration assets and has increased accountability throughout the management hierarchy. This has allowed our clients to vastly improve their compliance management around refrigeration assets and to significantly reduce the amount of time, effort, and paper in the management of their refrigeration assets. 

So next time you open your fridge, spare a thought for the health care teams who spend a significant amount of time and energy (although less now) to ensure that the fridges under their control are kept clean, safe, and hygienic at all times. 

If you would like to know more about compliance software for refrigeration management and fridge hygiene management, or general compliance management, please get in touch or connect with us on Facebook.

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