ECRI Institute, an independent nonprofit that researches the best approaches to improving patient care, has revealed its 2008 list of the 10 most dangerous health technology hazards facing hospitals. The list--updated annually based on problems reported to and investigated by ECRI Institute--includes detailed descriptions of these hazards, as well as concrete information on how to avoid them.
The top five health technology hazards identified in the 2008 list are:
• Alarm hazards
• Needlesticks and other sharps injuries
• Air embolism from contrast media injectors
• Retained devices and unretrieved fragments left in patients
• Surgical fires
“Our list is based on serious technology safety concerns that can be prevented with appropriate attention and planning. We hope that the list can help raise awareness about these problems, which should be on every hospital’s quality improvement agenda,” says James P. Keller, Jr., vice president, health technology evaluation and safety, ECRI Institute.
Read the list (free registration required).
