“We have well defined and documented healthcare regulations, one of which is the Good Pharmacy Practice Manual from 2004 published by the South African Pharmacy Council.
“This manual makes specific reference to the transport and storage of thermolabile pharmaceutical products. It states that storage areas must be temperature mapped and that temperature monitoring equipment installed. Temperature readings need to be recorded twice a day and reviewed daily. The storage area should be connected to an alarm system that generates a warning if the temperature threshold is breached," says Praba Moonsamy, managing director of Ikhaya Automation.
All this is to protect the pharmaceutical products being stored, and ultimately the patient who will need the medication.
The pharmaceutical sector benefits from constant advancements in technology and a wide ecosystem of technology providers brought about by the fourth industrial revolution. This results in a reduction in the cost of the electronic solutions that assist the pharmacist in meeting the required compliance requirements.
Technology that was deemed too expensive a few years ago, is now well within reach even for small pharmacies and community clinics,” he says.
To date, many establishments in the healthcare sector still use manual methods for temperature recording, record keeping and regular review. This can lead to inaccuracies and potential errors, but it also takes valuable time and distracts the pharmacist from his or her core focus.
In today's competitive world, where we are all required to work at maximum efficiency, we need to embrace technology to assist with mundane routine tasks such as temperature readings and record keeping.
Modern technology now allows for automatic temperature reading in a minute by minute intervals, automatic data analysis, automatic data upload and electronic data storage for the legally defined 5-year timespan. The convenience that this technology can bring means that the pharmacist will receive advance notice of any temperature deviation long before the legislated threshold is reached, anywhere in the world and on any device such as mobile phones, tablets or notebook computers. The convenience of being connected at all times to the temperature sensors in the fridge means that the pharmacists can react proactively to any variation, thus avoiding expensive stock losses and maintaining the required quality standard.
“As the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus once said: 'The only constant in life is change', telling us to recognise that our way of living and doing business changes all the time. We need to embrace this concept and constantly ask ourselves if the way we live and work is still the most effective. The one who does not critically question yesterday’s way of life and adapts accordingly will be left behind by those who do,” says Moonsamy.
