EMS
Experts in EMS Share Insights on Monitoring Medication and Blood Temperatures
In late 2020, Temptime sponsored a special webinar – “Top Tips for EMS Professionals: Monitoring Medication and Jeff Gutkind Blood Product Temperatures for Better Patient Care and CAAS Accreditation” – that brought leaders in the field together to discuss the why and how of medication monitoring for EMS professionals. Panelists discussed a range of topics including the changing role of EMS crews in the field, the differences between manual and electronic temperature monitoring and how the benefits of automated processes can help save time and money. For EMS operations, everything comes down to ensuring the best patient outcomes. Several factors go into achieving this such as welltrained staff and access to the most current technology and equipment among them. Keeping medication and IV fluids carried on-board EMS vehicles and held in storage in the proper temperature range is also essential. So important, in
18 Spring • 2021
fact, many accreditation agencies such as CAAS and CAMTS require that applicants have some sort of policy in place for maintaining proper temperatures. This can be as simple as having crews recording temperatures manually at regular intervals. However, Chief Tim Turner, EMS Training Division Chief for Walton County EMS in Florida, says that process can be cumbersome and just means extra work for crews. That’s why Walton County turned to automated, electronic temperature monitoring solutions when they began working toward CAAS accreditation.
The Evolving Role of EMS Crews In many cases, EMS crews are also taking on greater responsibility in the field. Some have been involved in conducting COVID-19 tests, for example. Others may be called on to help administer vaccines once they are available, says Director Tim Grice, National Registered Paramedic and Shift Supervisor for Jackson County EMS in Georgia. “Several of these vaccines have very specific temperature profiles.” Jackson County EMS is also
involved in a pre-hospital transfusion plasma study. “In Georgia, EMS personnel are not allowed to transfuse blood products,” says Lissa Shirley, Supervisor of the Blood Bank at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Blood. “Our trauma administrators went before the Georgia Board to request permission to conduct this pilot study. Our goal is to prove that not only is transfusion in the field safe, but it can also greatly benefit patients.” Blood products need to be stored at 1º to 6º celsius, she says. If they go outside that range, they need to be carefully evaluated to ensure they won’t cause any harm to the recipient.
Manual Versus Electronic Temperature Monitoring “Monitoring the temperature of medication is not a standard in the EMS industry,” says Chief Turner. “Most ambulances today are equipped with a power source, which allows them to plug in from their stations. That’s how we’ve always maintained temperatures in the patient compartment.” It wasn’t until Walton County EMS started the application process for CAAS accreditation that they
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began looking for alternatives to recording temperatures manually. Director Grice agrees, saying that temperature monitoring was not really on Jackson County EMS’s radar until they partnered with the medical center for the prehospital plasma pilot program. “Blood products have very strict temperature requirements, so trying to operationalize a manual temperature check from a thermometer that’s placed in a refrigerator or drug drawer would just not be practical.” Ms. Shirley adds that blood product storage temperatures require continuous monitoring and results must be documented regularly. “I don’t think there are many EMS services that would be able to do that manually — so electronic monitoring is the way to go.”
How Electronic Temperature Monitoring Works Wireless sensors are placed in each vehicle, refrigerated compartment or StatPackTM carrying medication or blood product. Users can set parameters for checking temperatures in various intervals — from every 30 seconds to once an hour.
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