Cold Chain Equipment Management

Introduction

An essential aspect of successful vaccine logistics lies in a healthy and functioning cold chain. Vaccines are completely reliant on properly functioning cold chain equipment (refrigerators, cold rooms, coolers, and their associated support equipment) in order to remain potent and safe to use. In order to support these needs, the OpenLMIS vaccine module will include a section (domain) on cold chain equipment (CCE) monitoring and management.

CCE Management functionality will cover a number of workflows in support of the cold chain. The features slated for inclusion in the first version of the vaccine module (within OpenLMIS v3.3 release) were discussed and prioritized at the May 2017 prioritization workshop in Copenhagen. Within scope for the features that will be included in the OpenLMIS version 3.3 software includes:

Creating a central-level CCE catalog that includes equipment information for PQS devices and additional devices.
Adding specific CCE devices to facility CCE inventory lists, capturing their needed equipment data (serial number, warranty info, associated voltage/temp gauge equipment)
Capturing and displaying functionality status of CCE devices, reason for failure, and generating alerts for nonfunctional devices.
Initial integration with the remote temperature monitoring system (RTM) ColdTrace.
~~Calculation and display of available CCE storage capacity by facility (in order to support resupply & planning)~~
Reports for DISC indicators and select KPIs, including preliminary reports to support CCE maintenance and repair.

Specific CCE features planned for OpenLMIS version 3.3

This table shows the specific features and user stories slated for inclusion in the OpenLMIS version 3.3, which will include the MVP for managing vaccines. The top row indicates the key user activities within the domain, click on the header to navigate to page with details on the related user stories (vertical cells in the table). The user stories with green backgrounds are currently planned for the MVP for the development roadmap. The stories with yellow backgrounds are under discussion and may or may not be included in the MVP scope. The stories in blue are completed. The stories with white backgrounds will be considered up next if more funds become available or after the initial release.

Legend

Green is planned for MVP
Yellow is under discussion (adjustments to MVP scope made since the workshop)
Blue is completed
White is up next
Headers = Key user activities
Cells = User stories

A. Manage CCE Catalog	B. Manage CCE Inventory	C. Capture Temperature & Functionality Status	D. Remote Temperature Monitoring (RTM)	E. Notifications & Alerts	F. Available CCE Storage Capacity	G. Maintenance & Repair
A.1 CCE Catalog rights (configuration)	B.1 CCE Inventory rights (configuration)	C.1 Input functionality status	D.1 Sync facility and device information	~~E.1 Notifications & alerts rights (configuration)~~ Not needed	View snapshot of CCE devices & functionality at facility (for decision making during resupply)	G.1 Replacement plan report
A.2 Create CCE catalog via CSV	B.2 Add facility CCE inventory	C.2 Record "needs attention" status (next)	D.2 Parse RTM temp output	E.2 Nonfunctional CCE alert	F.1 View max available CCE storage capacity by facility	G.2 Input reason for failure or nonfunctional status Votes: 7
A.3 Add CCE to catalog (download & upload CSV)	B.3 Add specific equipment info to facility CCE inventory	C.3 View CCE functionality status per facility	D.3 Automatically trigger "needs attention" status	E.3 Maintenance downtime alert Votes: 2	F.2 View CCE available storage capacity by device Vote:1	G.4 Specify spare part needed
A.4 Archive catalog items	B.5 Include warranty date info Votes: 8	C.4 Timestamp for functionality status	D.5 Generate temperature alert Votes: 4	E.5 Nearing max capacity alert
A.6 Add voltage stabilizers to catalog Votes: 2	B.6 Include warranty contact info Votes: 3	C.5 View CCE functionality summary Votes: 7	D.6 View average hours of power	E.6 Advanced notifications options
A.7 Add user manuals to catalog Votes: 1	B.7 Indicate related CCE device (voltage stabilizer, temp monitor) Votes: 2	C.7 Capture temperature excursions Votes: 2
A.8 Include manual request instructions for additions of CCE model to catalog	B.8 Make certain fields required	C.8 View CCE temperature status
A.9 Suggest CCE for catalog	B. 9 Configuration page for "Edit Equipment Info"
A.10 Add non-catalog CCE to facility inventory (for non-central users)	B.10 Bulk additions/deletions of CCE
	B.11 Query CCE lists by type (model)

Out of Scope

Out of scope for the vaccine module within OpenLMIS v3.3 includes:

Integration with additional RTM systems
- Integration with external systems needs to be done on a system-by-system basis, and given that OpenLMIS implementations have used ColdTrace in the past (SELV in Mozambique), it was decided to integrate with ColdTrace for the first go-round. With additional funding resources, OpenLMIS development can incorporate additional RTM systems.
Support features for CCE maintenance and repair.
- This includes spare parts reports, ordering, repair scheduling, and features around logging of power/wattage data for facilities and their devices. If it is determined that these features need to be included within OpenLMIS (rather than an external asset management system), they should be developed through building a specifc asset management module for OpenLMIS.

Open Questions

Question

Outcome

Are there standardized fields that need to be included for the CCE Catalog and CCE Inventory List?

Yes, PATH & UW have put together a number of standard fields that need to be included in CCE inventory management

CCE Inventory standard fields report

How often does CCE equipment need to be moved between facilities? (This is not counting "floater" coolers/equipment that is not ever tied to a specific facility.) This would affect the process for re-registering an existing device to the new facility that it has been moved to.

Is it necessary to include features for "floater" equipment in the inventory? Does this need to be tracked to the same degree as facility-housed CCE, or is it appropriate that for the MVP this type of CCE is not addressed in the CCE inventory lists?

Detailed Scope

Background

Vaccines are completely reliant on a properly functioning CCE in order to remain potent and safe to use.
OpenLMIS should be able to capture the functionality status of CCE – working, working intermittently, not working at all, as well as record information for what could be causing the failure.
This information is then used to: 1) determine which locations can store vaccines and which cannot; 2) plan for which locations need maintenance work; 3) plan for which locations need replacement of equipment; and 4) if the data allows for disaggregation by reason for non-functioning or by equipment type, the indicator and trend can also be used to assess performance of particular types of models of CCE in the field to figure out which ones to purchase in the future.
In settings where possible (RTM, see those reqs here) the system should be able to receive notifications/updates about CCE functionality (via interoperability considerations with RTM platforms)
Finally, based on the data that gets entered into the system, notifications/updates to specific personas (upstream store managers, maintenance technicians and managers, facility staff) should be possible when functionality is affected.
Chongsun did a walk through of the CCE functionality in VIMS CCE Meeting Attempt 2-20170601 1359-1.arf