Recall management remains challenging for healthcare providers, as the number of hazard alerts involving medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and other products continues to increase. From cybersecurity vulnerabilities involving complex medical technologies, to sterility issues with various consumables, to shortages across the industry, managing product recalls and corrections becomes more complex every year.
An analysis of 2022 data from the ECRI Alerts Workflow system, which facilitates efficient recall and technology risk management for medical equipment, supplies, and pharmaceuticals, highlights the scale of the challenge that providers are facing:
Large volume of alerts and recalls
In 2022, the number of ECRI medical device alerts and related recalls kept pace with the prior year; however, reports from providers point to a higher volume of impacted units and increased burden on the provider. The 2022 alerts breakdown as follows:
As an indicator of risk, ECRI assigns a priority level to each alert to help members prioritize. In 2022:
Multiple technologies affected
Medical device alerts classified as “critical” priority included a range of technologies, with specific types being represented multiple times:
High-profile medical device recalls
In addition to the many alerts that require review and the diverse group of technologies affected, healthcare providers experienced several high-profile recalls that garnered much industry attention:
Recall management best practices
With the large volume of recalls shown above and the complexities of recall management and supply chain sourcing, management of recalled medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and food products remains a complex problem for healthcare providers. To ensure the safety of patients and staff, providers should have appropriate resources and technologies working seamlessly together for more effective and efficient recall management. Some best practices are as follows:
Learn how ECRI can help you ensure the removal of harmful products before they reach the patient and reduce the time spent on recalls by 50% to 90%.