Every hospital I've worked at had processes in place for computer downtime, regardless the reason. Also, they had security in place to prevent hacking, they know cyber attacks are a reality as hospitals have long been targets. Problem is, the hackers are one step ahead devising new ways to gain entry into the secured systems.
The real risk in being hacked is to the patients when suddenly their medical/surgical histories are unavailable to health care providers. Many people are terrible historians when it comes to their own medical care. It's not bc these people are stupid, they simply forget. This leaves providers working in the dark.
Any care provided during downtime has to be manually entered when the system comes back up. I can only imagine how much of that information is lost in the transfer from paper to computer. The next provider now is working with an incomplete history.
My advice to every patient: put your pen to paper, write down your allergies to meds, current meds w dose and how often it's taken, significant medical and surgical history, list your physicians and emergency contact and carry it in your wallet.
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