Insights & News in Healthcare Safety

Recall: 3M Steri-Drape Defect Can Render Product Unusable and Unsafe

Recently, 3M™ issued an urgent, voluntary recall of select models and lots of 3M™ Steri-Drape™ Surgical Drapes distributed between October 29, 2021, and August 25, 2022. How is the drape used? The...

Health Technology Assessments Vital to Payers for Defensible Coverage Determinations

In today's healthcare environment, payers are under increasing pressure to make new and updated medical policy determinations as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. Health technology assessm...

Controversial New Study on Medical Masks versus N95 Respirators for COVID Prevention in Healthcare Workers

We noted with great interest the study by Loeb et al., published in the December 2022 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, as well as a helpful commentary and various reactions to the findings. In...

Advancing Patient Safety Through Better Designs or Processes: Top 10 Health Tech Hazards Part 2

This is part two of a two-part blog. A nurse's aide, when transferring a mother in labor to the delivery room, turned off the infusion pump delivering Pitocin, a drug administered intravenously to...

Top 10 Health Tech Hazards for 2023: A Tool to Reduce Preventable Harm

This is part one of a two-part blog. Reducing preventable harm is at the core of ECRI’s mission, and has been for more than 50 years. Since the publication of the first issue of the Health Devices...

Information Security Considerations for Decommissioning Medical Devices

What do you do with a medical device when it reaches the end of its useful life? If the device was used to store, generate, or communicate protected health information (PHI) or other sensitive data...

Understand Key Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Selection Features, Costs, and Maintenance

NFL football is an American pastime, but fun turned to fear last week as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, age 24, collapsed on the field. Cardiac arrest is particularly uncommon for healthy young...

Strategies to Help Improve Flu Vaccine Access for People of Color

Influenza (flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by various viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can even lead to death. Flu season started earlier than usual this s...

Don't Skip the Flu Shot This Year: 3 Reasons to Get One—Even If You Usually Don't

As always, influenza (flu) is in the news this time of year, along with recommendations that all eligible individuals get vaccinated against it. As many as 50% of eligible people typically skip a f...