News: ECRI’s top 10 patient safety concerns in 2026 published, navigating AI tops list

The Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI) outlined the 10 most critical patient safety concerns expected to impact healthcare industries in 2026. The safety concerns are determined by insights gathered from senior executives from across the healthcare field.

Many of the concerns outlined in the report include the risk of preventable harm. This includes the physical, emotional, and financial impact that can result when patient safety is not prioritized. ECRI suggests healthcare leaders use the report to “identify high-impact interventions and drive measurable improvements in patient safety within their organizations.”

These top 10 concerns outline the broad, systemic threats to the delivery of safe, equitable, and reliable healthcare. They highlight gaps and vulnerabilities in technology, staffing, culture, and public health—and how they all intersect to increase patient safety risk. Per the report, the top 10 most pressing patient safety challenges in 2026 include:

1. Navigating the artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostic dilemma
2. Reduced access to rural healthcare increases health risks and disparities
3. Increasing rates of preventable acute diseases in communities and healthcare settings
4. Effects of federal funding cuts on healthcare operations and patient safety
5. Lack of recognition and reporting of harm events
6. Structural and systemic barriers inhibit equitable pain management for women
7. Persistent workforce shortages continue to burden staff and restrict access to care
8. The impact on system improvement when a culture of blame hinders learning
9. Emergency department boarding contributes to worse patient outcomes
10. Persistent gaps in manufacturer packaging and labeling design continue to undermine medication safety efforts  

The use of AI tops the list as health systems increasingly adopt new tools to support clinical decision making. AI has been used to analyze large volumes of clinical data, automate information retrieval and potentially improve diagnostic accuracy. However, experts caution that new technologies may pose new risks if introduced and used without proper oversight. ECRI warned in the report that overreliance on AI systems could contribute to issues such as diagnostic errors, automation bias, and erosion of clinicians’ critical thinking skills.

Patient safety is more than simply preventing isolated errors and requires leadership investment to confront systemic weaknesses. That spans technology, staffing, infrastructure, culture, and equity.

“The counterintuitive reality is, it’s expensive to provide unsafe care. In healthcare, like in other high-risk complex industries, you either invest in safety up front, or pay a much higher bill, and the human tragedy, on the back end,” said Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, president and CEO of ECRI, in the report.

Editor’s note: To read the full report, click here. To read additional coverage of this study from Becker’s Clinical Leadership, click here.