WHO and ECRI Collaborate on Device Resources

NEWS TRENDS

The World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva) has selected the nonprofit ECRI Institute (Plymouth Meeting, PA) as part of a network of centers that help manage healthcare programs, including medical device safety issues. WHO collaborating centers work to strengthen national health development through various services, research, and training.

The ECRI Institute will serve as a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/WHO Collaborating Center for Patient Safety, Risk Management, and Healthcare Technology.

Tasks of the institute include managing a device safety program, offering training in technology assessment, and supporting global patient safety work. As part of the device safety program, the ECRI Institute must set up a central database for reporting adverse events and near misses, analyze the reports, and make recommendations for preventing such issues. The institute must also promote the program to other countries.

The center's other duties include providing training programs in managing medical equipment and software as well as developing and maintaining a universal medical device nomenclature system, called the UMDNS, in several languages.

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