ECRI's Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2024

Summary

ECRI's Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2024 list identifies the potential sources of danger ECRI believe warrant the greatest attention this year and offers practical recommendations for reducing risks. Since its creation in 2008, this list has supported hospitals, health systems, ambulatory surgery centres and manufacturers in addressing risks that can impact patients and staff. 

Content

The 2024 list features many first-time topics, including several that build upon the key theme from our 2023 list—the need to build stronger and more resilient processes and leverage innovations.

The number one topic addresses what has become a critical challenge—design shortcomings in home-use devices. When a device is developed, it's critical that human factors and the end user be considered to prevent misuse and harm. However, home-use devices are often not designed with the lay user in mind, and home users generally lack expertise in their use.

The list includes critical issues with medical devices that can impact public health, as well as how insufficient governance of artificial intelligence can impact patient safety. In addition, several topics on this year's list reflect new challenges resulting from changes and stressors on the healthcare industry.

1. Medical devices may pose usability challenges for home users, risking misuse and patient harm.
2. Inadequate or onerous device cleaning instructions endanger patients
3. Sterile drug compounding without the use of technological safeguards increases the risk of medication errors.
4. Overlooked environmental impacts of patient care endanger public health.
5. Insufficient governance of AI used in medical technologies risks inappropriate care decisions,
6. Ransomware targeting the healthcare sector remains a critical threat.
7. Increased burn risk with single-foil electrosurgical return electrodes.
8. Infusion pump damage remains a medication safety concern.
9. Poor QC of implantable orthopaedic products can lead to surgical delays and patient harm.
10. Third-party web analytics software can compromise patient confidentiality.