ECRI Releases Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2017

ECRI Institute is an independent nonprofit organization that researches approaches to improving patient care.  On an annual basis, it publishes a report – “Top Ten Health Technology Hazards”— in an effort to provide the healthcare industry with information regarding safety topics that warrant the attention of facilities and providers.

According to ECRI Institute, the list “identifies the potential sources of danger that we believe warrant the greatest attention for the coming year. All the items on our list represent problems that can be avoided or risks that can be minimized through the careful management of technologies.” Specifically for 2017, ECRI Institute issues risk warnings about the following:

1. infusion errors;
2. cleaning of complex reusable instruments;
3. ventilator alarms;
4. undetected respiratory depression;
5. heater-cooler devices used in cardiothoracic surgery;
6. software management;
7. hybrid OR radiation;
8. automated dispensing cabinets;
9. surgical staplers; and
10. device failures as the result of cleaning practices.

It’s important to note that the ECRI Institute does not build its list based on the most frequently reported problems. It also doesn’t focus on risks with the most severe consequences. Instead, as it states in the executive brief, “The list reflects our judgment about which risks should receive priority now. In this way, the list serves as a tool that healthcare facilities can use to prioritize their patient safety efforts.”

MLMIC supports this effort to provide the healthcare community with insight and information that will enhance patient safety.  Click here to read the 2017 edition of the ECRI Institute’s technology hazards report.