The safety and effectiveness of medical devices in Australia needs better monitoring with patients made more aware of the risks, according to new research.

According to Therapeutic Goods Administration statistics, medical devices have been implicated in nearly 1,000 incidents, including 43 reports of component failures and 18 safety alerts.

Patients have considerable concerns about how well a technology works and the potential problems that may arise in daily life by using the device, the country’s Consumers Health Forum said.