ECRI Institute Releases Top 10 Health Technology Hazards Report for 2014

Alarm hazards, robotic surgery risks, and radiation exposure in hybrid operating rooms make the list; new report is available for free download

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Nov. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Each year, ECRI Institute, an independent nonprofit that researches the best approaches to improving patient care, offers an invaluable patient safety service to the healthcare community. The just-released 2014 Top 10 Health Technology Hazards list raises awareness of the potential dangers associated with the use of medical devices and helps healthcare providers minimize the risk of technology-related adverse events.

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The 2014 list highlights the top 10 safety topics that warrant particular attention for the coming year. A 16-page executive briefing about the hazards is available for free download at www.ecri.org/2014hazards. It describes safety issues resulting from the following 10 technologies:

1. Alarm Hazards
2. Infusion Pump Medication Errors
3. CT Radiation Exposure in Pediatric Patients
4. Data Integrity Failures in EHRs and other Health IT Systems
5. Occupational Radiation Hazards in Hybrid ORs
6. Inadequate Reprocessing of Endoscopes and Surgical Instruments
7. Neglecting Change Management for Networked Devices and Systems
8. Risks to Pediatric Patients from "Adult" Technologies
9. Robotic Surgery Complications due to Insufficient Training
10. Retained Devices and Unretrieved Fragments

Clinical alarm hazards remain at the top of the list due to their prevalence, their potential to result in serious patient harm, and the increased attention they will receive from the Joint Commission in the coming year. In an April 2013 Sentinel Event Alert, the Joint Commission cited 98 alarm-related events over a three-and a-half year period, with 80 of those events resulting in death and 13 in permanent loss of function. The organization subsequently issued a National Patient Safety Goal for 2014 to compel healthcare providers to address alarm hazards. ECRI Institute has developed resources and tools to help providers meet the provisions of this new goal, and it offers an alarm management safety review consulting service.    

New topics this year include hazards related to radiation exposure in hybrid operating rooms and complications arising from insufficient training in the application of robotic surgery. The list also includes two hazards describing risks to pediatric patients: CT radiation dose and the use of technologies designed for adults.

"Technology safety can often be overlooked," says James P. Keller, Jr., vice president, health technology evaluation and safety, ECRI Institute. "Based on our experience, there are serious safety problems that need to be addressed. ECRI Institute recommends that hospitals use our list as a guide to help prioritize their technology-related safety initiatives."

To develop the annual list, ECRI Institute and ECRI Institute PSO engineers, scientists, nurses, physicians, and patient safety analysts draw on the resources of the institute's 45-year history, as well as their own expertise and insight gained through analyzing healthcare technologies. This includes examining health technology-related problem reports from hospitals and health systems worldwide, as well as those received through our federally-designated patient safety organization, ECRI Institute PSO.

Complementing the annual list is ECRI Institute's web-based Health Technology Hazard Self-Assessment Tool, which provides a facility- or department-specific risk factor rating of low, medium, or high related to each of the Top 10 hazards. The tool also provides targeted recommendations for mitigating the risks associated with each of the Top 10 hazards.   

The executive briefing version of ECRI Institute's annual Top 10 list of health technology hazards is provided as a courtesy of ECRI Institute. A more comprehensive discussion of each hazard, additional recommendations for minimizing the risks, and a list of useful resources for more information about each topic are provided in the November 2013 issue of Health Devices, available for purchase at a discounted rate.

For questions about ECRI Institute's annual list of technology hazards and the self-assessment tool, or for information about membership, contact ECRI Institute by telephone at (610) 825-6000, ext. 5891; by e-mail at [email protected]; or by fax at (610) 834-1275.

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About ECRI Institute
ECRI Institute (www.ecri.org), a nonprofit organization, dedicates itself to bringing the discipline of applied scientific research to healthcare to discover which medical procedures, devices, drugs, and processes are best to enable improved patient care. As pioneers in this science for 45 years, ECRI Institute marries experience and independence with the objectivity of evidence-based research. Strict conflict-of-interest guidelines ensure objectivity. ECRI Institute is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI Institute PSO is listed as a federally certified Patient Safety Organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Find ECRI Institute on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ECRIInstitute) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/ECRI_Institute).

SOURCE ECRI Institute