Review ECRI’s top health technology hazards for 2026

Earlier this year, ECRI released its annual Top 10 Health Technology Hazards report to outline the most pressing sources of danger stemming from the use of medical devices and systems. The 19^th edition of this report identifies current technology-related dangers that experts believe warrant greater attention in 2026, offering practical solutions to address each hazard and safeguard patient care.

After considering criteria such as severity, frequency, breadth, insidiousness, public profile, and preventability, ECRI identified the following as the top 10 health technology hazards for this year:

1. The misuse of artificial intelligence chatbots in healthcare
2. Unpreparedness for a “digital darkness” event
3. The growing challenge of combating substandard and falsified medical products
4. Recall communication failures for home diabetes management technologies
5. Tubing misconnections that remain a threat amid slow ENFit and NRFit adoption
6. Underutilizing medication safety technologies in perioperative settings
7. Deficient device cleaning instructions
8. Cybersecurity risks from legacy medical devices
9. Technology designs or configurations that prompt unsafe clinical workflows
10. Water quality issues during instrument sterilization

ECRI noted that this report is designed to serve as a tool for all stakeholders (e.g., technology managers, device users, manufacturers, policy makers) to prioritize patient safety efforts and effectively manage risk.