Health care information technology (IT) outages pose a threat to patient safety and patient care continuity. Organizations’ downtime plans must be updated regularly and staff at the work area level should have experience with implementing IT outage operations through downtime drills. This article describes the study institution’s IT Outage Toolkit, based on the acronym CLEAR, which guides the development of a downtime plan as well as design, execution, and assessment of work area downtime drills. Self-report and external audits of downtime drills help identify performance gaps and gaps in downtime plans.
KoppelRMetlayJPCohenAet al. Role of computerized physician order entry systems in facilitating medication errors. JAMA. 2005;293:1197-1203.
2.
HarringtonLKennerlyDJohnsonC.Safety issues related to the electronic medical record (EMR): synthesis of the literature from the last decade, 2000-2009. J Healthc Manag. 2011;56(1):31-43.
3.
MeeksDWSmithMWTaylorLSittigDFScottJMSinghH.An analysis of electronic health record-related patient safety concerns. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2014;21:1053-1059.
4.
Institute of Medicine. Health IT and Patient Safety: Building Safer Systems for Better Care. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2012.
5.
RamthunSJamesEMHangiandreouNBenderCE.Electronic imaging system implementation at Mayo Clinic Rochester: downtime procedures and communication plans. J Digit Imaging. 2000;13(2 suppl 1):206-207.
6.
OralBCullenRMDiazDLHodEAKratzA.Downtime procedures for the 21st century: using a fully integrated health record for uninterrupted electronic reporting of laboratory results during laboratory information system downtimes. Am J Clin Pathol. 2015;143:100-104.
7.
NelsonNC.Downtime procedures for a clinical information system: a critical issue. J Crit Care. 2007;22:45-50.
8.
SittigDFGonzalezDSinghH.Contingency planning for electronic health record-based care continuity: a survey of recommended practices. Int J Med Inform. 2014;83:797-804.
