Making healthcare safer by understanding, designing and buying better IT.

When nobody or nothing notices an error, it may turn into patient harm. We show that medical devices ignore many errors, and therefore do not adequately support patient safety. In addition to causing preventable patient harm, errors are often reported ignoring potential flaws in medical device design, and front line staff may therefore be inappropriately blamed. We present some suggestions to improve reporting and the procurement of hospital equipment. © Royal College of Physicians 2015. All rights reserved.