Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2026

Learn how to identify and address patient safety concerns in your facilities

ECRI’s Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2026 identifies the most critical safety challenges impacting patients, clinicians, and healthcare organizations in the year ahead. This annual list highlights areas of greatest concern and provides actionable, evidence-based strategies to help healthcare leaders reduce risk and strengthen system-wide safety.

Overview
The 2026 edition introduces new and emerging topics that reflect the evolving complexities of healthcare delivery that impact patient safety. To understand where vulnerabilities exist, healthcare leaders must evaluate every component of the system—people, organizations, tasks and processes, tools and technology, and the physical environment. Each concern represents a breakdown in at least one of these areas, with many spanning multiple domains.

Supporting Total Systems Safety
Total systems safety emphasizes creating resilient, transparent, and efficient healthcare systems. It applies principles of human factors and systems engineering, just culture, health equity, and advanced safety science to align all parts of the organization toward a shared goal: safer, more reliable, and more effective care for every patient.

The report will be available March 9, 2026.

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