CLN Daily
In modern laboratory medicine, cybersecurity events and unplanned IT outages are no longer hypothetical disruptions but rather inevitable events demanding urgent, tailored preparedness. In a scientific session on Tuesday afternoon, “Downtime, not downfall: Strategies for preparedness and recovery of extended downtime and cyberattacks”, attendees will learn why traditional, one-size-fits-all contingency plans may be inadequate in an era defined by cybersecurity threats, cloud dependency, and increasingly complex laboratory systems.
The session speakers, Angeline Glomb, BS, MBA, MLS(ASCP), Simone Arvisais-Anhalt, MD, and Christina Wojewoda, MD, have firsthand experience with extended downtime incidents and will share how clinical laboratories can maintain continuity of care under extreme conditions through preparation, comprehensive planning, scalable solutions, and strong partnerships across departments and vendors.
The speakers will guide the audience toward a simple but critical realization that downtime response must be flexible, scalable, and institution-specific. What works in one hospital, such as a pediatric setting, may not translate fully to another institution with different testing volumes, workflows, and patient populations. Therefore, laboratories are best served to proactively design strategies that reflect their unique operational realities rather than defaulting to “fight or flight” reactions during a crisis.
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Recent accounts from laboratory professionals underscore the high stakes of extended IT downtime. During prolonged outages, essential systems including laboratory information systems, electronic medical records, and communication platforms may be unavailable, forcing laboratories to rely on manual processes for prolonged periods. In these circumstances, a lack of basic supplies such as labels, paper, and pens can become critical bottlenecks.
What begins as a technical failure can quickly escalate into a logistical and clinical challenge, testing not only institutional infrastructure but also human resilience. The speakers will guide the audience through real-world scenarios that expose gaps often overlooked in routine downtime planning. Common fallback measures, such as preprinted labels or manual logs, may be adequate for brief disruptions but can falter under sustained operational strain.
The speakers will also highlight communication breakdowns as a major vulnerability for laboratories. Effective downtime management requires coordination across every level of the organization, from phlebotomists to executive leadership. Without clear protocols, inconsistencies in reporting, documentation, and critical-result communication can compromise both patient care and regulatory compliance. The speakers will show how laboratories can build more resilient systems by aligning stakeholders around shared expectations, defining escalation pathways, and preparing for extended disruptions before they occur.
Training also plays a decisive role. While leadership may design contingency plans, it is frontline staff are often the ones who must execute them, sometimes in the early hours of the morning without immediate administrative support. The session will highlight one case in which a night-shift coordinator successfully stabilized operations during the initial hours of a crisis because she had recently reviewed downtime procedures. Conversely, gaps in staff familiarity can slow response efforts, reinforcing the need for continuous, organization-wide preparedness.
The growing reliance on digital infrastructure has only heightened these risks. As laboratories adopt cloud services, advanced analytics, and interconnected systems, they also expand their exposure to cyberattacks and systemic failures. Glomb, Arvisais-Anhalt, and Wojewoda will discuss why these threats will continue to evolve and why healthcare organizations must regularly reassess and strengthen their contingency frameworks.
Ultimately, the message is clear: downtime no longer represents an exception, but a certainty which laboratories must be prepared to face. With the right planning, scalable processes, and cross-functional partnerships, downtime does not have to become a downfall. This session will show how institutions can respond to outages with confidence, efficiency, and patient safety intact by investing in adaptable strategies that evolve alongside the technologies laboratories increasingly depend on.