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Chat GPT isn't just for techies.

Join our training course to become an AI tabletop design expert!

Comprehensive Resilience in the face of existential threats

Long-Term Downtime Preparedness

Driven by the increasing frequency of severe ransomware attacks and infrastructure failures on healthcare, hospitals must now be prepared for long-term downtimes of their systems.

Unlike short-term disruptions lasting a few hours, long-term downtimes can extend over days or weeks, compounding challenges for hospitals ill-equipped for prolonged outages.

We've worked with our large healthcare clients to create best practices for doing this.

Download the Long-Term Downtime Whitepaper

This whitepaper outlines the key components of prolonged outages, six best practices which will equip your organization to manage both planned and unplanned IT disruptions as well as our step-by-step engagement overview.

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The Benefits

Sustained Workflow Adaptations

Hospitals must implement manual processes for critical workflows such as medication administration, diagnostic services, and patient tracking. These processes must be efficient enough to sustain operations over extended periods.

Resource Management

Extended outages strain supplies, including paper forms, backup power sources, and communication tools. Proactive stockpiling and resource allocation plans are essential.

Enhanced Staff Resilience

Long-term downtimes place significant psychological and physical stress on healthcare workers. Comprehensive training and support systems help staff navigate the prolonged demands of manual workflows and alternative procedures.

Coordination Across Departments

Hospitals must foster interdepartmental collaboration to maintain seamless operations despite the absence of digital systems. This involves synchronizing efforts across clinical teams, IT, and administrative staff.

How it Works

Prioritization of Critical Systems and Workflows

Our approach focuses on identifying and prioritizing the ones essential to patient care and operational continuity. This involves:

Ranking systems by their impact on patient safety and care delivery.
Highlighting workflows that span multiple departments, such as medication administration, diagnostic imaging, and patient admissions.
Determining which services can be curtailed or modified during extended outages to allocate resources effectively.

Outcomes:

Not all systems and workflows are equally critical. This prioritization ensures that efforts are directed where they are needed most.

Assessment of Current Procedures and Capabilities

We begin by conducting a detailed evaluation of your hospital’s existing downtime procedures. This includes:

Documentation Review: Analyzing existing plans, policies, and protocols to identify gaps and redundancies.
Stakeholder Input: Engaging clinical, administrative, and IT teams to understand pain points and real-world challenges.
Workflow Mapping: Examining critical workflows across departments to identify dependencies on IT systems and medical equipment.

Outcome:
This phase helps establish a baseline, revealing areas that require immediate attention and opportunities for improvement.

Development of Tailored Downtime Procedures

Using insights from the assessment, we
collaborate with your team to create
downtime procedures tailored to your
organization’s unique needs. Key
elements include:

Activation Criteria and Triggers: Establishing clear thresholds for initiating downtime protocols.
Alternative Workflows: Designing manual processes to replace digital systems during outages.
Communication Plans: Ensuring effective interdepartmental and external communication using backup methods.

Outcomes:

Our tailored procedures address the specific challenges your hospital faces, ensuring readiness for both planned and unplanned disruptions.

Simplification and Standardization of Tools and Documentation

To facilitate adoption and usability, we create user-friendly tools and resources that empower your team during an outage:

Customized templates for workflows, logs, and checklists.
Centralized guides that consolidate critical information into an accessible format.
Standardized procedures across departments to eliminate inconsistencies.

Outcomes:

This approach simplifies implementation, ensuring staff can easily execute procedures under high-pressure conditions.

Training and Simulations to Build Confidence

Preparedness requires practice. We develop and deliver training programs and simulation exercises that:

Familiarize staff with downtime procedures and manual workflows.
Test the organization’s response to realistic outage scenarios.
Identify gaps and opportunities for refinement through hands-on experience.

Outcomes:

Together, we can craft a comprehensive strategy that meets your unique needs and secures the future of your operations.