When you look at your medical refrigerator, what do you see? Ideally, you would see it as a cold storage unit for storing your medical items in suitable temperature environments. But, that is not everything, and there is something more.

A medical refrigerator can also save you money. Can’t believe it? Yes, it is true, although it sounds strange in the first place. 

Understanding how your medical refrigerator can act as money-saving equipment will help if you focus on its core functions.

In a medical facility, the need for storing vaccines and some medicines in the right temperature environment arises to preserve the potency. And a medical refrigerator fulfils the need by storing them effectively. 

If you fail to store the items at the right temperature, they can get damaged and thus become unusable. And in that case, you will incur significant monetary losses in replacing the damaged stock, which can also put patients at risk. 

But, medical refrigerators are costly, which is why many medical facility owners try to save money by buying a household refrigerator, which costs less.

But, trying to save money by investing in a household refrigerator can prove to be more costly in the long run because such refrigerators do not come with the necessary features to ensure the right storage of sensitive medications and vaccines.

And storing your medical items in a household refrigerator can lead to unwanted consequences. Although medical refrigerators cost more, it helps you save money in the long run.

If you are looking to invest in a cold storage unit for your medical facility, then have a look at how investing in a medical refrigerator can save you money:

Accurate Temperature Control

Accuracy in temperature control is the main reason for investing in a medical refrigerator. And that is necessary for storing medical items in the proper conditions. 

But, you will not get this facility in household refrigerators. Temperatures in such refrigerators undergo fluctuations throughout the day.  

The temperature fluctuations can be damaging for delicate medical items, such as vaccines, as they require stable temperature environments to remain potent. There can be deviations by a few degrees in vaccine storage regarding temperature fluctuations without risking their viability.

Suppose you do not have a medical refrigerator in your healthcare facility. In that case, there can be excessive damages to vaccines and other delicate medications, which you need to throw away as they will thus become unfit for use. 

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says healthcare facilities lose USD 20 million annually due to losses caused by improper refrigeration. Moreover, accidental usage of damaged medication can also lead to costly lawsuits if patient safety is compromised. 

But, with a medical refrigerator, you can put all your worries to rest. Medical refrigerators have features to safeguard medications by maintaining the correct temperature. They also seal the door tighter than the domestic refrigerators, enabling steady temperature maintenance.

Medical refrigerators can also maintain a more consistent temperature range than household units. And that can help you ensure the potency of your medical products over the long term, saving you money. 

Temperature Monitoring

Medical refrigerators have advanced temperature monitoring systems, helping to maintain the cold chain. Such monitoring systems are not available on household units. 

 There has to be a temperature monitoring system to know the temperature ranges at which the items stayed to ensure that the stored medical items are at a safe temperature,

But, temperature monitoring with a household unit is troublesome. You should open the door and use a thermometer to record the temperature readings. This type of temperature monitoring can be inaccurate and disturb the temperature’s stability every time you open the door. 

With a medical refrigerator, you can accurately monitor the internal temperature without opening the door. The units have features to monitor the internal temperature with an external Temperature Monitoring Device (TMD), which shows precise temperature readings. 

Sophisticated medical refrigerators even have a digital data logger (DDL) that can store temperature information. As such, you can see the temperature status over time and know for how long the temperature was outside the prescribed ranges if there was any temperature excursion. 

With the temperature monitoring facility, you can ensure the proper temperature in the unit, maintaining product safety.

Alarm Systems

An alarm system is one of the most beneficial features you miss out on in a household refrigerator. A medical-grade lab freezer comes with an alarm function that sends out alarm signals to alert your staff if the internal temperature deviates from the set range.

An alarm can serve as an early warning about temperature deviation, allowing your staff to transfer vaccines and medications to another unit.

Suppose the door was accidentally left open or the unit is malfunctioning. In that case, an alarm system can send out an alert signal if there is a deviation in temperature in the refrigerator.

Security

Costly medications and vaccines can be tempting for thieves. As household refrigerators do not have a security system, thieves can break into the unit and steal valuable items, and you will incur a significant financial loss. Medical refrigerators have security features to restrict unwanted personnel from accessing their contents. 

Power Backup

Power backup is another critical feature of medical refrigerators. It helps in keeping the refrigerator running even during power cuts, keeping the stored items safe.

Conclusion

Investing in a medical refrigerator can have many benefits, including saving money. As such, refrain from investing in a household refrigerator for your medical facility use.