The old adage “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail,” has been used throughout history and it still rings true today.
There’s little room for failure in clinical care. Preparation is an important aspect of everyday practice management and success, and it is never more critical than when a disaster strikes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all practices have a plan in place to keep their vaccine supply safe during an emergency. Common disasters that affect vaccine supply, include national vaccine shortages, as well as severe weather and other events that cause loss of electric power.
Emergency preparedness for these situations means being ready with concrete plans in advance to ensure that both providers and staff are ready to handle a future crisis and provide needed support to patients.
Set a plan in place
Before planning for specific emergencies, it’s important that practices evaluate at a high level the emergency plans they do, or don’t, have in place. According to the CDC, every practice should establish an emergency standard operating procedure (SOP) that includes vaccine storage and handling. The CDC’s Medical Office Preparedness Planner is a helpful tool to begin developing an emergency SOP. Once completed, providers should review the SOP with their staff, highlight responsibilities and place printed SOPs near vaccine storage units to make sure that correct procedures can be easily accessed in an emergency.
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that providers also designate at least one primary vaccine coordinator for a general practice that can also serve as the point person for disaster preparedness. A coordinator can oversee emergency preparations, such as tracking inclement weather conditions and ensuring appropriate handling of vaccines during a disaster.
Losing Power
Practices can lose electric power for a variety of reasons: natural disasters, severe weather, equipment failure, and regional outages, to name a few. Losing power affects vaccine refrigerators and other storage units that rely on electricity to maintain the cold chain and preserve vaccine potency. Power outages, even brief ones, can compromise a practice’s entire vaccine supply, causing a chain reaction affecting everyone from personnel to patients. Luckily, the CDC and AAP outline several preventative actions providers can take to prepare for, and manage a power outage.
Before
Purchase an on-site generator or backup battery power sources to power storage units.
Establish a partnership with another facility to use their refrigeration as an alternate temporary location for your vaccine supply to be safely stored.
Develop and review emergency transportation best practices with staff, in case vaccines need to be moved.
During
Vaccines can be left inside an unpowered unit as long as appropriate temperatures are maintained, which according to the AAP is roughly three hours. After that time period, vaccines are likely compromised.
Record the temperature of all storage units as well as the temperature outside of the units to track ongoing changes.
After
Check to see if the cold chain has been compromised and clearly mark any vaccines that may have experienced temperature variations as “Do Not Use.”
Report the event to a VFC Coordinator, as well as vaccine manufacturers for clear instructions on appropriate vaccine disposal.
Vaccine shortage
Outbreaks, high demand and delayed deliveries can all cause a temporary shortage in vaccines. This can be true particularly for influenza vaccines, since they are developed annually and on shorter notice than other vaccines, according to the CDC. Because shortages are often hard to predict, there is no one way to prepare for them, but by actively managing and tracking their vaccine supply, providers can work to mitigate the impact of shortages on their patients.
Before
Work with your vaccine coordinator to strategically manage ordering and inventory based unique patient population factors.
Consistently check the CDC’s Current Vaccine Shortages & Delays page to plan ahead as best you can.
During
Review patients’ needs and prioritize patients at the greatest risk of the disease prevented by the vaccine that is low in supply.
Set aside a second dose for patients that have received the first dose of the vaccine to ensure they can complete the series.
After
Review vaccine supply and work with your vaccine buying group to restock it quickly.
Emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere. By preparing practices and staff for the worst, providers can ensure that they are equipped to best handle any emergency that comes their way and minimize the disruption to patient care.