ECRI’s annual report details the most pressing health technology risks, including home use of medical devices, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, counterfeit medical products, and more.
Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare applications tops ECRI’s 2025 report on the biggest healthcare technology risks. ECRI, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to healthcare safety, warns that while AI has the potential to improve efficiency and outcomes, it poses significant risks to patients if it does not. is not properly assessed and managed.
AI has grown from its earliest applications in medical imaging to influence virtually every area of healthcare, including diagnosis, documentation, and appointment scheduling. Even AI applications involving ancillary systems, which are not regulated as medical devices, can have a profound impact on patient care, ECRI experts say.
“The promise of artificial intelligence’s capabilities should not distract us from its risks or its ability to harm patients and providers,” said Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, president and CEO of ECRI. “Balancing AI innovation with privacy and security will be one of the most challenging and defining efforts in modern medicine.”
ECRI experts say AI systems can produce false or misleading results, or “hallucinations,” and that the quality of their results can vary across different patient populations. AI models can perpetuate any biases they contain, posing significant risks for underrepresented and historically marginalized communities.
“AI is only as good as the data it is fed and the safeguards that govern its use,” Schabacker said. “Healthcare stakeholders at all levels need to think critically about the integration of AI, as they would any new technology. »
The list is rounded out by technological hazards identified in home health and acute care settings, information security applications, and the medical device supply chain. The top ten health technology risks established by ECRI for 2025 are, in order of ranking:
- Risks related to AI-based health technologies
- Unmet technology support needs for patients receiving home care
- Vulnerable Technology Vendors and Cybersecurity Threats
- Substandard or fraudulent medical devices and supplies
- Fire hazard from extra oxygen
- Dangerously low default alarm limits on anesthesia units
- Mishandled Temporary Holds on Medication Orders
- Poorly managed infusion lines
- Harmful medical adhesive products
- Incomplete investigations of infusion system incidents
The full Top 10 Health Technology Risks report, available to ECRI members, provides detailed steps that organizations and industry can proactively take to reduce risks and improve patient safety. A summary version is available for free download at this link: Top 10 health technology risks for 2025.
ECRI will host a live webcast on the Top 10 Hazards, open to the public, on December 5 at noon ET. A panel of medical device and healthcare safety experts will discuss the implications of hazards on patient safety, clinician effectiveness, and operational efficiency, as well as strategies to mitigate these risks. Register for the webcast at this link: Top 10 health technology risks for 2025.
Now in his 18th That year, ECRI’s Top 10 Health Technology Risks report identifies critical health technology issues. Since its inception in 2008, the list has helped hospitals, health systems, ambulatory surgery centers and manufacturers mitigate risk.
About ECRI
ECRI is an independent, not-for-profit organization that improves the safety, quality and cost-effectiveness of care in all health care settings. With a focus on technology assessment and safety, ECRI is trusted by healthcare leaders and agencies around the world. ECRI is designated a Center for Evidence-Based Practice by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices PSO is a federally certified patient safety organization designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 2020, ECRI acquired ISMP to create one of the largest healthcare quality and safety institutions in the world. Visit www.ecri.org.