Electronic Health Records and Downtime Procedures

Patient data is as voluminous as it is vital. Recent cyber-attacks, disasters, and the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the need for patient data to be protected and accessible by emergency medical providers. Most health care facilities use electronic health records (EHR) to store patient health history and other data. There are multiple Health Information Technology/EHR software programs available, making interoperability a challenge. Recent lessons learned highlight both the utility of these programs and the challenges and risks associated with data collection, access, quality, and transfer capabilities. The resources in this Topic Collection include guidance and lessons learned specific to EHR.