AI Ranked as Top Health Tech Hazard for 2025
AI-enabled health technologies soared from 5th in 2024 to the top of ECRI’s annual top 10 health technology hazards for 2025. This jump in ranking underscores the growing concerns over AI’s potential for misuse and oversight challenges, as its adoption accelerates across the healthcare sector. Unmet technology support needs for home care patients and tech vendor risk and cybersecurity threats make up the top three hazards.
ECRI’s report identifies 10 critical technology-related patient safety threats which demand the greatest attention in the coming year. It offers valuable insights into the potential risks associated with health technology, emphasizes the importance of its safe usage, and offers actionable strategies.
This blog post reviews the top 10 technology hazards outlined by ECRI and the practical solutions for minimizing these risks and preventing harm. Here is the top 10 list for 2025:
Top 10 List for 2025
- Risks with AI-Enabled Health Technologies
- Unmet Technology Support Needs for Home Care Patients
- Vulnerable Technology Vendors and Cybersecurity Threats
- Substandard or Fraudulent Medical Devices and Supplies
- Fire Risk in Areas Where Supplemental Oxygen Is in Use
- Dangerously Low Default Alarm Limits on Anesthesia Units
- Mishandled Temporary Holds on Medication Orders
- Infection Risks and Tripping Hazards from Poorly Managed Infusion Lines
- Skin Injuries from Medical Adhesive Products
- Incomplete Investigations of Infusion System Incidents
Table of Contents
Overview of Top 10 Health Technology Hazards
1. Risks with AI-Enabled Health Technologies
Artificial intelligence (AI) holds immense potential for transforming patient care, clinical workflows, diagnostics, and operational efficiency. However, it also presents unique challenges. AI’s potential for causing preventable harm remains a major concern. Biased or incomplete data used to train AI models may produce inaccurate or discriminatory outcomes. Placing excessive trust in these models runs the risk of suboptimal patient care decisions and may lead to patient harm.
The key takeaway? While AI has immense potential as a tool to support clinicians and healthcare staff, human judgment must remain central to patient care. Incorporating AI into healthcare requires thoughtful planning and oversight to mitigate risks.
To harness AI effectively in improving patient care, organizations must set clear objectives, evaluate risks, select the right solutions, create robust implementation plans, manage expectations, and continually monitor AI performance to detect and address potential issues over time.
2. Needs for Home Care Patients
For many patients, receiving healthcare at home is an attractive alternative to hospital-based treatment. But delivering care in a home setting has unique challenges, particularly when the patient or a family member is responsible for operating a complex medical device. Devices such as ventilators, dialysis machines, and infusion pumps -traditionally used in hospitals under clinical supervision – are now increasingly employed in home care.
Safe and effective use of these devices hinges on adherence to critical technology management practices. These include assessing device usability based on the user’s capabilities, addressing physical or structural limitations in the home, and providing thorough training on device operation and maintenance. Neglecting these practices can result in undetected errors or incidents, misinterpretation of device readings, care delays, or harm from unresolved malfunctions.
To reduce the risk of harm, it is essential to equip home users with the support needed to operate, maintain, and troubleshoot these devices effectively. This includes anticipating potential challenges, selecting devices suited to the patient and their environment, and ensuring users are well-prepared to handle the demands of home care.
3. Vulnerable Technology Vendors and Cybersecurity Threats
Healthcare relies heavily on the expertise of professionals, the availability of in-house medical devices, and increasingly, the performance of systems managed by external third-party vendors. Essential services such as scheduling, billing, electronic health records, and other clinical systems are often provided by external vendors.
While third-party tools and services offer numerous advantages, they also introduce risks that can jeopardize healthcare operations. Disruptions or cybersecurity breaches that impacted a vendor can have severe ripple effects on patient care. Such incidents can deprive healthcare providers of access to critical services, accurate data, or effective communication channels, all of which are vital for patient care. These disruptions can delay, prevent, or compromise treatment, ultimately harming patient outcomes.
To mitigate these risks, healthcare organizations should implement strategies such as thoroughly vetting vendors, building system redundancies, testing incident response plans, establishing robust recovery procedures, and effectively managing vendor risks and cybersecurity risks.
4. Substandard or Fraudulent Medical Devices and Supplies
Supply chain challenges have opened the door for substandard or even fraudulent medical devices and supplies, such as counterfeits, to enter healthcare settings. These defective products can pose serious risks to patients and staff if they fail to function as intended.
The prevalence of substandard or fraudulent products in the U.S. market has become alarmingly frequent, posing significant risks to patient care. These faulty devices are more prone to failure or malfunction, potentially resulting in misdiagnoses or injuries. Moreover, the disruptions and recalls associated with these products place additional strain on the supply chain, leading to shortages and imposing costly corrective measures as healthcare organizations must identify and remove affected items from their inventories.
To mitigate these risks, ECRI recommends that healthcare organizations rigorously vet all suppliers, conduct trials of new products before purchase, establish procedures for isolating, investigating, and reporting questionable items, and develop robust response plans to address supply chain disruptions. Additionally, industry stakeholders and policymakers should strengthen manufacturing quality control processes and enforce measures to prevent the circulation of substandard and counterfeit products.
5. Fire Risk in Areas Where Supplemental Oxygen Is in Use
Fire hazards must be treated with the utmost seriousness, including areas where supplemental oxygen is in use. ECRI has investigated incidents involving fires during defibrillation, as well as those linked to heated humidifiers, fiberoptic light sources, and damaged electrical cords, among other examples.
Surgical teams in acute care facilities are likely familiar with the risk of fires in operating rooms (OR), where supplemental oxygen is often used alongside ignition sources. However, investigations by ECRI highlight the need for greater vigilance in preventing fires in non-OR areas to safeguard patients, staff, and others from potentially severe consequences.
Preventing fires requires addressing the three elements needed for a fire – an oxidizer, fuel, and ignition source – ensuring they do not combine under the right conditions. It is crucial for clinicians, caregivers, and patients to understand the hazards associated with each element and take appropriate precautions. Furthermore, anyone present in environments where supplemental oxygen is used should be prepared to respond effectively in the event of a fire.
6. Dangerously Low Default Alarm Limits on Anesthesia Units
Anesthesia units are equipped with alarms designed to alert clinicians when issues arise, but their effectiveness depends on alarm thresholds being set at clinically relevant levels.
ECRI has investigated numerous cases where inappropriate default alarm limits led to undetected hazards, resulting in severe patient outcomes such as intraoperative awareness, brain injury, and even death. Alarms requiring particular attention include the low minute volume alarm, which signals inadequate breathing, and the low agent concentration alarm, which warns when the patient is not receiving sufficient anesthetic agent.
ECRI recommends that anesthesia unit manufacturers configure safe lower default limits for critical alarms, a step some vendors have already taken. Additionally, healthcare organizations should ensure that default settings are appropriately calibrated to prevent avoidable risks.
7. Mishandled Temporary Holds on Medication Orders
The need to temporarily suspend the administration of medication due to clinical circumstances is common in patient care. However, this is prone to errors if workflows for documenting “hold” orders in the electronic health record (EHR) are not clearly defined and thoroughly vetted. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) identifies common causes of errors related to “hold” orders, including ambiguity about what the order entails, ineffective communication, and unclear procedural guidelines.
A key issue is EHR configurations that hinder access to critical details about “hold” orders. For instance, practitioners might have to scroll, search, or browse to locate information about when to hold or resume a medication. Additionally, prescribers may document these details in places that are not easily visible to other healthcare team members.
To mitigate such risks, healthcare organizations need to establish a clear, consistent, and well-implemented process for holding and resuming medications. A comprehensive evaluation of the EHR workflow is vital to ensure that held medication orders and their associated parameters are easily accessible at every stage of care, from the pharmacy to the bedside.
8. Infection Risks and Tripping Hazards from Poorly Managed Infusion Lines
Improper management of infusion lines and connectors can result in significant patient harm. While medication errors and misconnections are well-known risks, other hazards – such as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and tripping dangers are equally concerning.
Infections from Poor Line Management
HAIs can arise from several causes, including pathogens entering connectors or infusion lines, environmental contaminants reaching the insertion site or tubing, and contaminated drugs and solutions. HAIs are linked to severe outcomes such as prolonged hospital stays, increased morbidity, and higher mortality rates. To mitigate these risks, healthcare professionals should adhere to infection control best practices, including strict aseptic techniques for insertion and maintenance and appropriate standard or transmission-based precautions.
Tripping Hazards from Infusion Lines
Infusion lines left on the floor can cause injuries to patients or staff from falls and may lead to dislodged lines, harming the patient. To address this risk, healthcare workers should routinely check that lines are off the floor. Facilities might also consider using catheter securement products to reduce the likelihood of dislodgement.
9. Skin Injuries from Medical Adhesive Products
Medical adhesive products serve various purposes, such as wound dressing, securing IV lines, or attaching electrodes for electrocardiograms. While these products are designed to support patient care, differences in adhesive properties and patient responses can lead to complications like skin tears, blisters, contact dermatitis, or other injuries.
Factors contributing to Medical-Adhesive-Related Skin Injuries (MARSI) include patient risk factors, adhesive properties, product selection, and improper handling of adhesive products. MARSI can affect patients in any care setting, specialty, or population. Although most injuries heal within days, they can cause significant discomfort, pain, and an increased risk of infection, potentially leading to more serious complications.
Purchasing decisions play a crucial role in preventing MARSI. Without access to suitable adhesive products, staff may have to use suboptimal options, increasing the likelihood of injury. ECRI recommends that facilities stock an appropriate range of adhesive products and ensure they are readily available to staff. Clinicians should assess patients for MARSI risk factors and select the gentlest adhesive product that meets the clinical requirements of the task.
10. Incomplete Investigations of Infusion System Incidents
Healthcare organizations need to thoroughly investigate technology-related adverse events to identify root causes and prevent future errors. However, investigations involving infusion systems can be especially challenging due to the wide range of potential contributing factors. Without the necessary expertise or resources, organizations risk failing to address the underlying issues that may lead to potentially fatal infusion-related medication errors or other incidents.
ECRI’s extensive research into pump-related incidents over the decades has shown that investigations must consider multiple factors, including pump hardware and software issues, the IV administration set and accessories, and user actions. Additionally, staff actions taken immediately after an event can sometimes unintentionally hinder subsequent investigations.
Steps for Effective Investigation and Prevention
Establishing a culture that encourages immediate reporting of incidents is the foundation for identifying and addressing root causes. Key measures include:
- Educating staff on how to respond appropriately following an incident.
- Ensuring proper documentation of the event.
- Preserving the infusion pump, along with any accessories and disposables used, for analysis.
These steps are essential for a thorough investigation and the implementation of corrective actions to enhance patient safety.
The Importance of Incident Reporting
Incident reporting plays a critical role in identifying, addressing, and mitigating health technology-related hazards. This practice ensures that potential risks are detected and recognized early, enabling effective management to safeguard patient safety.
ECRI’s top 10 health technology hazards mostly originated from user-submitted accounts of medical device incidents and near misses. To enhance patient safety, healthcare providers should encourage accurate reporting of such occurrences by frontline healthcare workers and other users of health technologies.
As new health technologies emerge, incident reporting serves as a valuable learning process in understanding emerging technological risks, uncovering root causes, and preventing future incidents that could lead to patient harm.
Source: Adopted from ECRI, Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2025: Executive Brief
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