Hospital employees in western Norway formed long queues Saturday morning to regain access to critical computer systems. A technical error locked 1,800 healthcare workers out of patient records and digital prescription systems.
At Ålesund Hospital, the wait reached 45 minutes as staff needed new security cards. Many gave up and returned to their patients rather than wait.
Nurse Kristin Brekke stood in line during her shift. "It's a bit frustrating," she said. "We've been adapting to this new health platform, and when there's constantly some small issue... But we just have to take it sporty.
The system failure occurred Friday when a routine update coincided with a security patch. Employees lost access to core patient journals, sick leave documentation, and electronic prescriptions.
Karen Salberg, a senior physician at the radiology department, came in on her day off. "I got a text message from my boss last night," she explained. "I thought I'd get this sorted today so I'm ready to work normally on Monday.
Hospital management acknowledged the frustration. "We understand employees are frustrated they can't do their jobs when needed," said medical e-health director Henrik Erdal.
The healthcare provider is working to add extra staffing while employees secure access. A proper queue management system won't be available until Monday morning.
So far, no patients have been harmed due to the login problems, according to officials.
The technology company responsible for the systems confirmed the error occurred during scheduled maintenance. They've launched an investigation to prevent similar incidents.
After 45 minutes in line, Nurse Brekke finally regained her system access and rushed back to her patients.
The situation highlights the vulnerability of digital healthcare systems and the real-world consequences when technology fails those who depend on it daily.