Patient safety efforts in healthcare often focus on clearly recognized risk: medication errors, infections, falls, or equipment failures. Yet some hazards remain largely invisible, precisely because they are so familiar. Personal electronic devices and their chargers, now ubiquitous at the bedside, are a prime example.
Mobile phones and chargers are part of everyday life. Patients, families, and staff rarely perceive them as dangerous, particularly because they are used safely in most home environments. This familiarity creates a false sense of security. In reality, electronic device chargers carry well-documented risks, including electrical injury, burns, fire, and ligature hazards.1 These risks can be amplified in healthcare settings, where patients may have reduced sensation, limited mobility, altered cognition, or be exposed to oxygen-enriched environments and combustible materials.1
What makes this hazard particularly concerning is its invisibility. Unlike complex medical equipment, chargers are not usually viewed through a patient safety lens. They are rarely included in routine risk assessments, discussed during admission, or highlighted in staff education. As a result, unsafe charger placement, damaged cables, or prolonged contact with skin or bedding may go unnoticed, despite the potential for harm.
The consequences of overlooking such “ordinary” hazards can be significant. Injuries linked to electronic devices may prolong hospital stays, increase infection risk, drive up healthcare costs, and expose patients to avoidable harm.1 Importantly, these outcomes often arise not from negligence, but from gaps in system design and risk awareness.
This is where patient safety and accreditation intersect. Modern accreditation programs are built on the principle that organizations should anticipate risk rather than simply react to incidents after they occur. As healthcare environments evolve, so must the range of hazards that organizations recognize and manage. The widespread presence of personal electronic devices at the bedside is one example of how patient behaviour and technology can introduce new risks that traditional safety systems were never designed to address.
Across healthcare organizations, approaches to charger safety vary considerably. Some institutions address the issue indirectly through environmental safety practices, while others have no formal processes at all. Such variation highlights a broader challenge: emerging risks often become widespread long before they are reflected in standards, policies, or regulatory requirements. Waiting for incidents or external mandates before taking action is rarely the hallmark of a mature safety culture.
Accreditation is not simply about meeting standards. At its best, it encourages organizations to demonstrate foresight, accountability, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Leaders are expected to identify risks that may not yet appear on formal checklists, evaluate their potential impact, and develop practical strategies to reduce harm. Charger-related hazards provide a useful example of this responsibility in action.
Fortunately, effective solutions are often simple. Charger safety can be incorporated into environmental rounds, patient admission education, and routine bedside safety checks. Staff can be encouraged to recognize damaged cables, unsafe charger placement, and patients who may be particularly vulnerable because of impaired mobility, cognition, or sensation. These measures require little investment, yet they demonstrate an organization’s ability to adapt its safety systems to the realities of modern care.
At its core, patient safety is about anticipating harm before it occurs, even when that harm is not immediately obvious. The most significant threats are not always dramatic or highly visible. By recognizing and addressing these hidden risks proactively, healthcare organizations strengthen both patient safety and organizational resilience, while reinforcing the principles of vigilance, accountability, and continuous improvement promoted by AACI Healthcare.
1 Lukic A, Mlinaric D, Gajski Z, Ferencic Z, Gluncic V, Lukic IK. Electronic Device Chargers in the Hospital: A Case Study. Am J Nurs. 2026;126(5):42-6. doi: 10.1097/AJN.0000000000000294.