Vaccine storage and handling. Knowledge and practice in primary care physicians' offices.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the knowledge and practice of vaccine storage and handling in primary care physicians' offices.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study was conducted from August to December 1992. Staff responsible for vaccine storage were interviewed about their knowledge and practices of vaccine handling and storage. Refrigerators were inspected to document refrigerator temperature and vaccine storage conditions.

SETTING

General and pediatric practices in 12 regions of Ontario.

PARTICIPANTS

Practices outside metropolitan Toronto were selected by choosing every 10th physician who ordered vaccine from the local health department in 1992. Practices chosen in metropolitan Toronto were a random selection of physicians affiliated with a Toronto teaching hospital. Eighteen pediatric and 138 general practices were approached to participate; 12 pediatric and 123 general practices participated in the study. The overall response rate was 86.5%.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Survey responses and temperature and storage conditions of refrigerators upon inspection.

RESULTS

Fewer than seven (6%) practices answered all questions related to vaccine storage and handling correctly, and only 11 (10%) refrigerators had thermometers. One-third of refrigerators had temperatures outside the recommended range of 2 degrees C to 8 degrees C. Older refrigerators were more likely to have inappropriate temperatures than newer ones.

CONCLUSIONS

Knowledge and practice of vaccine storage and handling are often inadequate in primary care physicians' offices.