practice partner
office consult
The purpose of this column is to answer questions about issues that we either hear about frequently, or that
have a wide applicability across the profession. If you have any questions or topic suggestions for this column,
please email them to [email protected], or contact the Physician Advisory Service.
• evelop policies and procedures for
D
handling and storage of vaccines.
• ollow the vaccine manufacturer’s
F
instructions for storage and handling.
• tock no more than a one-month supply of
S
vaccine.
• lace short expiry vaccines in front of long
P
expiry vaccines.
T
he Physician Advisory Service frequently receives inquiries pertaining
to proper vaccine storage. It is critical
for physicians to ensure that vaccines
are stored and administered in accordance with
recognized standards and guidelines.
In clinical offices where vaccines are routinely
administered, staff should be adequately trained
and competent in the handling, administration
and storage of the vaccines that are being used.
For more information about vaccine storage
and handling, refer to the Ontario Ministry of
Health and Long Term Care’s (2012) “Vaccine
Storage and Handling Guidelines”, available at:
http://www.health.gov.on.ca.
In order to ensure that the vaccines given
to patients are fully effective, the following
requirements must be met:
66
Dialogue Issue 4, 2014
• o not leave vaccines out of the refrigerator,
D
except when preparing the syringe.
• Protect vaccines from light.
• o not prepare vaccine doses ahead of time by
D
pre-filling syringes or leaving syringes ready
on the counter.
• heck vaccine expiry dates regularly. Check
C
the expiry date before use.
• eturn unused or outdated/expired vaccines
R
to your local public health unit, to the Ontario
Government Pharmaceutical and Medical
Supply Service, or to the vaccine ordering
source.
• f there is reason to suspect that the
I
vaccine may be exposed to temperatures
outside the required storage range, notify
the vaccine manufacturer.
If you have any questions regarding vaccine storage, please contact your local public
health unit or the College’s Physician Advisory
Service at (416) 967-2603 or 1-800-268-7096
extension 603.
photo: istockphoto.com
The proper
handling, storage
of vaccines
• tore vaccines within the temperature range
S
recommended by the vaccine manufacturer.
• tore vaccines on the middle shelf of the
S
refrigerator, not in the door.