Which statement best describes the goal of a disaster recovery plan?

• A. To publish community newsletters
• B. To reduce staff numbers temporarily
• C. To minimize data backups
• D. To maintain essential operations and protect patient data during disasters or outages

Answer: (D)

Disaster recovery plans are about keeping essential operations going and protecting data when disruptions occur. The best statement captures both priorities: maintaining critical services so care can continue and safeguarding patient information during disasters or outages. This focus is exactly what a disaster recovery plan is designed to achieve, ensuring quick restoration of systems and protection of data after an incident. The other options miss the core aim: publishing newsletters isn’t about recovery or continuity, temporarily cutting staff doesn’t restore services or protect data, and reducing data backups would increase risk and hinder recovery.