Ensuring Safe AI Use in Healthcare: A Governance Imperative
ECRI has just released its Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2025, which highlights the most urgent patient safety challenges currently facing the healthcare industry. This report is informed by a combination of evidence-based research, data, and expert insight from both ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Beyond simply identifying these concerns, we also offer guidance and resources to help organizations tackle them, promoting a total systems safety approach to enhance overall patient safety.
#2 Patient Safety Concern: Insufficient Governance of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing healthcare, offering benefits like improved clinical outcomes, reduced costs, and alleviating burnout. However, its rapid integration across various healthcare settings—from hospitals to home care—raises significant concerns. A major issue is the insufficient governance of AI technology. Many healthcare organizations lack clear policies to oversee AI's implementation, leading to risks such as biased algorithms, data security vulnerabilities, and medical errors.
AI models are only as good as the data they're trained on, and when data are flawed, AI can cause misdiagnoses or delayed treatments, putting patients at risk. Despite these dangers, a 2023 survey found that only 16% of hospitals have system-wide AI governance policies (Fierce Healthcare). This lack of oversight could exacerbate healthcare disparities and compromise patient safety.
Ultimately, AI should be viewed as a tool that enhances, rather than replaces, clinical judgement. To harness AI's benefits while safeguarding patient safety and to address these concerns, read this year's full report.
The Full List of the Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns
Here's the full list of topics included in ECRI's Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2025:
- Risks of Dismissing Patient, Family, and Caregiver Concerns
- Insufficient Governance of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
- The Wide Availability and Viral Spread of Medical Misinformation: Empowering Patients through Health Literacy
- Medical Errors and Delays in Care Resulting from Cybersecurity Breaches
- Unique Healthcare Challenges in Caring for Veterans
- The Growing Threat of Substandard and Falsified Drugs
- Diagnostic Error: The Big Three—Cancers, Major Vascular Events, and Infections
- Persistence of Healthcare-Associated Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities
- Inadequate Communication and Coordination during Discharge
- Deteriorating Community Pharmacy Working Conditions Contribute to Medication Errors and Compromise Patient and Staff Safety
Download ECRI's full report: Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2025.