Choose an ending to the scenario, and construct your paper based on those reflections.

The result: A patient is injured due to a technology failure.

While healthcare institutions embrace technology advancements, it is important that they prepare for possible disruptions of their operations. The downtime of technology can happen at any moment and affect patient care as well as privacy and security. In this scenario, an emergency department experiences a technological failure that results in an error.

The first thing to do when a downtime in technology occurs is to evaluate the situation. Next, you should inform all parties involved of the problem. If this is the case, then the nurses should inform the IT department of the downtime and alert the medical team. After determining the severity of the effect on patient care, the healthcare team will prioritize the patient’s care.

Medication errors are one possible error that may occur in a time of technology outage. Nurses may be unable to access medication orders if the EHR system is down, which can lead to confusion or errors when administering medications. Patients with chronic illnesses that need close monitoring could also miss out on important medication, leading to complications. In order to ensure that medication is administered during times of technology outage, healthcare facilities must have an alternative plan.

Communication and coordination delays among members of the healthcare team are another potential mistake that can occur when technology is down. Nursing staff may lack access to vital patient information such as medical histories and allergies. The lack of patient information may lead to delays and miscommunications, which could result in negative events. In order to continue communicating and coordinating care when technology is down, it’s important that hospitals have efficient backup communication systems, like paper-based forms or communication boards.

As a conclusion, health care facilities need to be ready for possible disruptions, which may include technology downtime. Although it’s impossible to avoid all downtimes, hospitals can still take measures to reduce the effect on safety and patient care. These include backup plans for medications and communications, as well staff training to cope with downtime. In this way, hospitals can provide safe, effective patient care even when technology is down.