To improve access to high-quality health products worldwide, the USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program-Procurement and Supply Management project employs cutting-edge technologies and industry best practices to make global health supply chains more efficient and reach more people.
Measuring Temperature throughout Global Health Supply Chains Using Internet of Things (IoT) Data Loggers .
Fact Sheet | December 30, 2019
Temperature data is critical for ensuring that health commodities are not compromised during transportation to end users.
Temperature excursions can negatively impact the quality of cold-chain health commodities, sometimes rendering them ineffective or even unsafe. From international shipping down to central and regional warehouses and along in-country transport to the last mile, temperature monitoring of ambient products is limited, or in many cases, nonexistent. Without such data, the likelihood of product degradation increases while opportunities for corrective action are overlooked. Supported by multiple donors including USAID, The Global Fund, and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we work with numerous vendors for data logging technology and identify the most appropriate platform suited to each activity. The sensors we use have the capacity to collect a range of information including temperature, humidity, shock, tilt, and light. Data is being collected across the entire pharmaceutical product supply chain from manufacturer to end user. We do this by looking at both international shipments and in-country supply chains all the way down to the community health worker. Learn more in this fact sheet.