Laboratory computer availability: a College of American Pathologists Q-probes study of computer downtime in 422 institutions.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the frequency, duration, and impact of computer downtime on laboratory operations.

METHODS

Four hundred twenty-two laboratories monitored the frequency of computer system downtime and other computer malfunctions over a period of 30 days. Participants classified each instance of unavailability according to its cause, duration, and consequences. In all, data from 11 967 instances were submitted for analysis.

RESULTS

During the 30-day study period, the participating institutions experienced a median of eight episodes in which all or a primary computer function was unavailable. The cumulative median duration of downtime during these 30 days was 14.3 hours. The most unfortunate 10% of participants reported having 44 or more episodes in which all or a primary computer function was lost during the 30 days, for a cumulative duration of 77.7 or more hours of system unavailability. Computer installations that served two or more full-service laboratories were significantly more likely to experience unscheduled loss of all or a primary computer function than were sites that served only one laboratory, and unscheduled events were more likely to be of longer duration. Participants reported that 1.3% of downtime events required the use of staff overtime to perform required work. Overtime was more likely with longer-than-average periods of downtime and losses that had not been scheduled. Of all the downtime instances, 0.2% led to the release of inaccurate results, and 0.1% led to an adverse clinical outcome. These events were associated with software failure, unscheduled downtime, a site's overall frequency of downtime, particular software vendors, and not having installed a software patch in the previous 1000 days.

CONCLUSIONS

The frequency of laboratory computer downtime varies widely among institutions and is occasionally associated with adverse clinical outcomes or additional staff expense.