Increasingly, in hospitals data logger technology is becoming indispensable for the monitoring and recording a wide range of parameters.

Data logger use for fridge and freezer monitoring: A common application for data logger use is in the monitoring of temperature in fridges and freezers used to store drugs and samples. Many drugs must be stored within a narrow temperature band at around 6 degrees C to be kept in useable condition. Prior to the advent of data logger technology hospital staff would have to frequently check the temperature of the fridge with a traditional thermometer. Not only was this inefficient, but also could not guarantee that the temperature had not gone out of limits in between readings. By placing a small temperature data logger inside the fridge, temperature can be recorded continuously. Also the data logger will usually have a warning LED which blinks if there has been a temperature excursion. Because the data logger has a visual alert, staff generally only need to download the data from the logger on a monthly basis, saving valuable time for other activities.

Data logger use in cold stores: Large walk in cold stores are often used for critical storage of medical supplies. Here a data logger with an SMS text alarm may be used to alert staff out of hours or at weekends if the door has been left open, or if there has been a system failure. The data logger may have an integral GSM modem or an external modem to send the text message.

Data logger use for liquid gas monitoring A data logger with a very low range temperature probe can be used to monitor liquid nitrogen. Sometimes a dual channel data logger is used to monitor the pressure as well as temperature.

Data logger use in incubators Incubators are often fitted with a data logger to record temperature an sometimes other parameters such as CO2 and oxygen levels.

Data logger uses in operating theatres A data logger is often used to monitor temperature and humidity in operating theatres to ensure the comfort of patients and staff.

Data logger applications in medical research It is not possible within the scope of this article to list all of the applications for data logger technology in medical research, but here is an interesting example: Recently medical researchers used a data logger fitted with strain gauges to measure the force being applied to an external steel brace on a broken limb. As the bone healed the bending force applied to the brace slowly reduced. The data logger was set to record this force every few seconds so the healing process could be monitored very closely over a period of four weeks, providing invaluable data.

So it can be seen that data logger technology is now used extensively in hospitals to help maintain both the quality and safety of the care that they provide.