This reference defines the terms used throughout Temperature Monitoring. The terms build on each other: a Monitor reports readings, a Threshold Setting defines the acceptable range, an excursion is a reading outside that range, and an Alert Rule decides who is notified.
Core entities
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Storage Unit | A medication refrigerator, freezer, or other enclosed storage whose internal temperature (and optionally humidity) is monitored. Created in Company Settings or Temperature Monitoring. |
| Storage Unit Type | A category of Storage Unit (for example, Refrigerator, Freezer, Ultra-low Freezer). Every Storage Unit is assigned a type. |
| Room | A space whose ambient temperature and humidity are monitored, such as a clean room or medication room. A Room appears in Temperature Monitoring only after a Monitor is installed for it. |
| Monitor | A Temp Monitor Pro or Temp Monitor Lite device that measures temperature and humidity and reports readings to Temperature Monitoring. |
| Probe | An external NIST-certified sensor used with a Temp Monitor Pro. Placed inside a Storage Unit to measure its internal temperature. |
Configuration
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Threshold Setting | The acceptable high and low values for temperature, humidity, or both. Assigned to a Storage Unit or Room. A reading outside this range is an excursion. |
| Alert Rule | The configuration that decides who is notified, and how, when an excursion or device issue occurs for the Storage Units, Rooms, or Monitors it covers. |
| Threshold alert delay | How long a reading must stay out of threshold (excursion) before an alert is triggered. Prevents nuisance alerts from brief fluctuations, such as a door opening. |
| Alert arming delay | How long the system waits after a Monitor starts reporting before threshold alerts can trigger. Lets readings stabilize after installation. This is not the same as the threshold alert delay. |
| Device logging rate | How often a Monitor records a reading. Configured separately for when readings are within threshold (in-range) and when they are out-of-range (excursion). |
Operations
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Excursion | A reading that falls outside the assigned Threshold Setting. The regulatory term for an out-of-range event. |
| Alert | A notification that an excursion or device issue has occurred. An alert stays active until a user resolves it, even after the reading returns to normal. |
| Acknowledge | The action a responder takes to confirm they have seen an active alert and are handling it. |
| Resolve | The action that closes an alert after corrective action is taken. Resolving an alert documents that the issue was addressed. |
| Corrective action | The steps your facility takes in response to an excursion, following your own procedures. Recorded when the alert is resolved. |
| Escalation | Notifying additional people when an alert is not acknowledged within a set time. Configured as part of an Alert Rule. |
| Paused Mode | A state in which a Monitor stops generating threshold alerts, used during installation, maintenance, or defrost cycles so expected out-of-range readings do not trigger alerts. |
Compliance and reporting
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| NIST certification | Traceable calibration of a probe against National Institute of Standards and Technology references. Each Temp Monitor Pro probe ships with a NIST-traceable calibration certificate. |
| Calibration certificate | The document that records a probe's NIST-traceable calibration. Available to download from Temperature Monitoring for audits. |
| Report | A generated record of readings, alerts, audit activity, or calibration and maintenance, exported as a PDF for audits and accreditation reviews. |
| Audit trail | The continuous record of readings, excursions, alerts and the actions taken, available through reports. |