Health IT makes ECRI Institute's annual top 10 hazards list
For every problem that health IT might solve, it seems it introduces a few new problems as well. The ECRI Institute, a nonprofit patient safety organization, has released its sixth annual report listing the top health technology hazards for the coming year. This year's report includes several technology advances that have the potential to cause patient harm.
Top 10 Health Technology Hazards List for 2013 names the following as potential hazards:
1. Alarm hazards;2. Medication administration errors using infusion pumps;3. Unnecessary radiation exposures and radiation burns during diagnostic radiology procedures;4. Patient/data mismatches in EHRs and other health IT systems; and5. Interoperability failures with medical devices and health IT systems.
The hazards included in the 2013 list, published in the November issue of ECRI Institute’s Health Devices journal, met one or all of the following criteria: it has resulted in injury or death; it has occurred frequently; it can affect a large number of individuals; it is difficult to recognize; it’s had high-profile, widespread news coverage; and there are clear steps for hospitals to take now to minimize these risks.
ECRI Institute also offers its web-based Health Technology Hazard Self-Assessment Tool, which provides a facility or department risk factor ratings of low, medium or high related to each of the top 10 hazards. Healthcare organizations can then use the information to help prioritize their efforts to address the hazards. The tool also provides facility- and department-specific recommendations for mitigating the risks associated with each of the top hazards.
Access the complete report online.
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.