PICO scheme: The method for systematic and structured literature research 

“Follow the PICO scheme.” This is the recommendation of many auditors and reviewers, as well as some regulatory documents (such as MDCG guidelines and MEDDEV 2.7/1 rev.4), regarding precise medical literature searches.  Read in this article,  1. PICO scheme: The basics  1.1 Definition  The topic is structured according to four aspects:     Aspect  Explanation  P …

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Why you should consider clinical studies in Australia 

Conducting clinical studies in Australia is not on the radar of many medical device manufacturers. However, good reasons exist to consider this continent for clinical studies or investigations. Yet manufacturers should also be aware of Australia’s regulatory requirements and specific disadvantages. 1. Advantages and disadvantages of clinical studies in Australia 1.1 Advantages of clinical studies…

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Understanding and avoiding deviations and nonconformities

Deviations, nonconformities, errors, findings, observations, and other terms are often used mistakenly synonymously. Even standards explicitly contradict each other when defining individual terms. This article clarifies, 1. Nonconformities: The basics 1.1 Definitions 1.1.1 Nonconformity ISO 9000:2015 defines nonconformity as “non-fulfilment of a requirement.” It equates this term with “error.” ISO 13485 contradicts this. This standard…

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EU Declaration of Conformity

In this article you will learn, 1. Contents of a declaration of conformity Annex IV of the MDR specifies what a declaration of conformity must contain: 2. Scope of a declaration of conformity Don’t declare conformity for an unspecified number of devices. Wording that doesn’t contain any restrictions in terms of applicability does not comply with…

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Harmonized standards: Evidence for medical device manufacturers

Most manufacturers use harmonized standards to demonstrate the conformity of their devices with the general safety and performance requirements. This also applies to medical device manufacturers, for example. 1. Standards and harmonized standards a) Definitions and more EU Regulation 1025/2012 defines the term harmonized standard. Standards are documents written by national or international standardization commissions…

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