March 15, 2021 -- PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA—As the nation marks one year since the start of COVID-19 restrictions, ECRI names Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare as its top patient safety concern for 2021. ECRI’s Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for 2021 report relies on the analysis of more than 4 million patient safety events and the judgment of its patient safety and medication safety experts. This year’s annual report is being released in conjunction with Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 14 to 20, 2021.

The coronavirus pandemic is exposing gaping disparities in care and outcomes for people of color. Hispanic and Latinx persons have been three times more likely to be hospitalized and twice as likely to die from COVID-19 as white non-Hispanic people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Clearly, racial disparities will not disappear overnight,” says Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, president and CEO of ECRI, the nation’s largest patient safety organization. “By profiling this issue, we are calling much-needed attention to this public health crisis.”

Of the 10 topics in the report, eight are related to or exacerbated by COVID-19. In addition to health disparities, others include emergency preparedness in aging care facilities, disease outbreak preparedness, supply chain shortages, telehealth, the improvised use of medical devices, and aerosol infection prevention. Each concern is coupled with strategic recommendations to avoid or counter it.

ECRI’s full list of patient safety concerns for 2021 includes:

1. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare—Differences may include frequency of screening for COVID-19 or other diagnoses, disease severity, complications, and deaths.
2. Emergency Preparedness and Response in Aging Services—Over 570,626 confirmed cases and over 112,383 deaths occurred in nursing homes as of February 1, 2021.
3. Pandemic Preparedness across the Health System—Government investigations, congressional reports and pandemic preparedness reviews warned that America’s healthcare system was woefully unprepared for a fast-moving infectious disease outbreak.
4. Supply Chain Interruptions—Limits on exports, plus shutdowns in countries that manufacture and produce raw materials, resulted in delays for much-needed supplies.
5. Drug Shortages—The COVID-19 pandemic led to shortages in almost every drug class used for mechanical ventilation.
6. Telehealth Workflow Challenges—Event reports cited poor wi-fi, inappropriate monitoring, inadequate language services, and health privacy issues.

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