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TempTrak temperature monitoring system to be upgraded; training for new system underway

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TempTrak, the system that monitors temperatures of refrigerators, freezers, fluid warmers, and rooms throughout J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital and all WVU Hospitals-operated clinics, including nursing units, Clinical Laboratories, and Nutrition Services units, will be upgraded Jan. 11, 2017.

To prepare for the switch, a CBL, available in NetLearning (TempTrak 5.0 Basic Training), has been assigned to the following job roles starting Dec. 12:

  • unit clerks
  • managers/ directors
  • dietary personnel
  • pharmacy
  • night-shift supervisors
  • respiratory therapists
  • facilities technicians
  • lab technicians

Any employee who uses TempTrak, but does not have one of the job roles listed above, should ask their NetLearning administrator to be enrolled in the TempTrak 5.0 Basic Training CBL. The CBL must be completed by Jan. 4, 2017.

The upgrade will affect almost all aspects of patient care, Aaron Kocsis, regulatory coordinator with WVU Medicine-WVU Hospitals’ Center for Quality Outcomes, said.

“The scope is wide-reaching,” Kocsis said. “It impacts all the departments in the hospital – anywhere where there is a refrigeration unit, freezer, or a fluid warmer, we use TempTrak.”

WVU Medicine-WVU Hospitals installed TempTrak 4.0 house-wide in 2008 to automate monitoring protocols for all departments and to maintain compliance with regulatory agencies. It features the most recent advances in wireless technology, with advance alert functions, color-coded temperature viewing, and expanded historical data reporting. Although the functionality of TempTrak 5.0 is similar to the current system, there are some differences.

Departments that frequently monitor the temperature of their products to ensure safety will need to have plans in place to monitor those units manually during the software upgrade.

This web page contains a  TempTrak 5.0 Basic User Guide and Fact Sheet. Departments and units are encouraged to print this flyer and post as a way to share with TempTrak users.

These documents, as well as training videos, will be available on CONNECT under Reference Tools on Jan. 11, 2017. Advanced user training materials can be accessed at http://www.cooper-atkins.com/support.asp.

Please contact Anthea Rhoades , nurse educator, Center for Education and Organizational Development, with questions.