Global

Safe EHR use and clinical system downtime procedures for nurses

A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 16 details that are specific to your organisation.

See the live deckSee the full outline
Try the coursePreview the survey
Length
35 min
Lessons
6 lessons
Frequency
At onboarding, before a new system goes live
Last reviewed
21 Oct 2026
Downtime and the grey areas
What would you do?

The last printed medicines list is hours old and a new order may have been made since

Try it: this is one of 21 interactive activities in the course.

What's included

Three pieces that work together

Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.

Self-paced course

Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.

  • 6 lessons, about 35 minutes
  • Sorting activity, scenario, flashcards, accordion and quizzes

Live session deck

An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.

  • 10 slides
  • Quiz, word cloud, poll, scale slides
  • A closing slide for your contacts

Two surveys

Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.

  • Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
  • 30-day check-in
  • Anonymous by default
  • Results feed your next refresher

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, learners can

Each objective and the lesson that covers it.

IDObjectiveSourceWhere it's covered
TO 319.0Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessmentnoneWhole course
SO 319.1Document accurately and safely in the electronic record and open only the charts your role needs + your infoExamples: HIPAA Privacy Rule; UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018; Caldicott Principles; best practiceWhole course
SO 319.2Apply the checks and safeguards built into electronic prescribing and medicines administration, and report a system warning or workaround that looks unsafe + your infoExamples: SAFER Guides; The Code (NMC); best practiceWhole course
SO 319.3Follow the local downtime routine: switch to paper, tell the right people and keep patients safe + your infoExample: SAFER Guides (Contingency Planning); best practiceWhole course
SO 319.4Recover after downtime: back-enter, reconcile, and report the event + your infoExamples: SAFER Guides (Contingency Planning); best practiceWhole course
SO 319.5Use digital tools and AI-generated text appropriately, and stay accountable for what you recordExamples: Code of Ethics for Nurses (ICN); Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (ANA); best practiceWhole course

Your part: what a template can't do for you

  • Your workplace details: fill in the 16 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
  • Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.

Course outline

6 lessons, about 35 minutes

Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.

ContentInteractiveVideoYou customise
1

Why the record and the system matter

3 pages

7 min
Before you beginNoteList
The screen goes blank on Ward 6TextImageChecklist
What a good record doesKey factFlashcardsQuiz
2

Using the record accurately, privately and safely

3 pages

6 min
The duties in briefTabsNote
Open it only if you need itSorting activity
Good entriesFlashcardsMatching quiz
3

Medicines on screen: checks and safeguards

3 pages

6 min
What the system does and does not doAccordion
Put the electronic round in orderSorting activityText
CheckChecklistQuiz
4

Downtime and the grey areas

3 pages

6 min
The downtime routineProcessYour infoYour infoNote
ScenarioScenarioQuiz
ScenarioScenarioSorting activityMatching quiz
5

Recovery, speak up and apply

3 pages

6 min
Recovery in orderProcessYour infoYour infoNote
Digital tools and AI in nursingAccordionNoteSorting activity
ScenarioScenarioQuizButtonYour info
6

Final assessment

2 pages

4 min
PracticeQuiz
CompletionKey factListNoteButtonYour info

Live deck and surveys

10 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop

Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.

ContentTitle, agenda, "the record is how the next person stays safe" (speaker notes: template page URL)
Word cloudOne word for how you feel when the system goes down
PollWhen did you last use a paper form on shift? (This week · This year · Not in my time here · Never)
ContentThe downtime routine in six steps and the recovery routine in six steps
QuizThe system is down at the start of a medicines round. You…" (Tell the nurse in charge and follow the downtime procedure ✔ · Wait until it is back · Give from memory · Skip the round)
QuizA colleague offers their login to speed things up. You…" (Decline and use your own ✔ · Accept once · Accept and say nothing · Share yours back)
Content · customiseCustomise: our downtime procedure, forms location and IT contact" with {{DOWNTIME_PROCEDURE_LINK}}, {{DOWNTIME_FORMS_LOCATION}}, {{IT_SERVICE_DESK_CONTACT}}
ScaleHow confident are you running the first ten minutes of a downtime?" 1 to 5
Open-ended / Q&AA record or downtime moment I would like to talk through
Content · customiseClosing {{CLINICAL_EDUCATION_CONTACT}}, {{SURVEY_2_URL}}, {{COURSE_URL}}
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
  1. Overall rating 5 stars
  2. Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
  3. What was most useful? multi-select
  4. Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
  5. How confident are you running the first ten minutes of a downtime? 1-5 scale
  6. Which change have you made in your practice? multiple choice
  7. What barrier have you met in trying it? short text
  8. I can report a system workaround or error without fear of blame. 1-5 scale
  9. One thing we should change or add open text
  10. Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
  1. Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
  2. How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
  3. Do you know where to find the local downtime procedure? yes / no / not sure
  4. A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
  5. Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking

Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.

Make it yours

16 fields to fill in, and you're ready

Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.

  • Clinical education contact{{CLINICAL_EDUCATION_CONTACT}}
  • Local policy link{{LOCAL_POLICY_LINK}}
  • Incident reporting route{{INCIDENT_REPORTING_ROUTE}}
  • Escalation route{{ESCALATION_ROUTE}}
  • Regulator and standards{{REGULATOR_AND_STANDARDS}}
  • LMS or record system{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
Show all 16 fields
  • Ehr system name{{EHR_SYSTEM_NAME}}
  • Privacy policy link{{PRIVACY_POLICY_LINK}}
  • Downtime procedure link{{DOWNTIME_PROCEDURE_LINK}}
  • Downtime forms location{{DOWNTIME_FORMS_LOCATION}}
  • It service desk contact{{IT_SERVICE_DESK_CONTACT}}
  • AI tools policy link{{AI_TOOLS_POLICY_LINK}}
  • Survey 1 URL{{SURVEY_1_URL}}
  • Survey 2 URL{{SURVEY_2_URL}}
  • Course URL{{COURSE_URL}}
  • Live session URL{{LIVE_SESSION_URL}}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I run safe EHR use and clinical system downtime procedures for nurses training online?

Yes. The course is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session in the room or online.

How often is this training needed?

At onboarding, before a new system goes live, after a significant downtime event, and annually alongside downtime drills.

Who needs this training?

Registered and enrolled nurses, nursing associates and healthcare assistants in hospitals and care homes who document, support prescribing or administer medicines using electronic systems; run by the nurse educator or clinical education lead, with the digital or business continuity lead as a guest.

What records should I keep?

Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when.

Can I edit the content?

Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply.

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Last reviewed: 21 October 2026Templates are a starting point, not legal advice.

Ready to run it?

Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.

See the live deck