Systems engineering aims to systematically develop systems – in this context, medical devices – in the planned time and quality.
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This page helps manufacturers of medical devices and their service providers to gain an overview of systems engineering and to find further articles on the subject:
According to the ISO/IEC 15940 definition, systems engineering is …
… interdisciplinary approach governing the total technical and managerial effort required to transform a set of customer needs, expectations, and constraints into a solution and to support that solution throughout its life.
Wikipedia has also adopted this definition of systems engineering.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 21841 speaks of a process of planning, analysis, organization, development, and integration.
The V-model is a well-known model for the development process. It is suitable as a documentation model for the (agile) development of medical devices.
As part of this process, manufacturers carry out various activities for which further articles provide guidance. They can set up their development team for these activities and/or have activities carried out by third parties.
In the latter case, these articles are relevant:
Usability engineering and, thus, the verification and validation of usability are also part of systems engineering. You can find further information on systems engineering by clicking on this link.
Risk management is a special feature of systems engineering for medical devices. You will find an overview of articles on risk management by clicking on this link.
The regulatory requirements are based on EU regulations and directives:
The central standard is IEC 60601-1, which was extended by a 2nd amendment in 2019. IEC 61010-1 is relevant for IVDs.
The concepts of the standard(s) include:
In addition to the basic standard, the particular standards are also relevant:
Many manufacturers rely on the CB Reports to provide evidence.
There are special standards for devices that are intended to come into contact with the human body:
ISO 17664 is relevant for the reprocessing of medical devices.
Please also refer to our article on substance-based medical devices.
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With PFAS, the EU plans to ban an entire class of chemicals. In doing so, it is not only threatening the supply of medical devices but also the competitiveness of EU manufacturers. After all, the assumption that manufacturers inside and outside the EU are treated equally is just one of the EU’s five misconceptions in…
DetailsThe term “medical device PC” is not clearly defined. However, most people understand a medical device PC to be Depending on the constellation, manufacturers must fulfill different regulatory requirements. These are presented in this article.
DetailsThe V-model is a development process model that was originally used for government projects (e.g., armaments). To this day, it is still anchored in many people’s minds and in standards for projects in regulated environments (e.g., medical technology, banks). This leads to disputes in teams that prefer agile development processes. This article helps to resolve…
DetailsMedical device manufacturers are obliged to both describe the development process and create a development plan. Because both documents specify how medical devices will be developed, there is uncertainty as to which information belongs in which document. This article resolves this and also examines the software. It looks at the software development plan and the…
DetailsLaws and standards formulate requirements on how medical device manufacturers must define and document the development process. Notified bodies check these requirements during audits. This article on the development process provides tips on how to design the process and how to align it with other processes, such as the risk management process.
DetailsMedical devices must comply with the legal requirements for functional safety. Unfortunately, the relevant standards and laws for medical devices do not define or use the term “functional safety.” This article provides clarity.
DetailsIn May 2016, the German version of IEC 60601-1-2:2014 (Edition 4) was published as DIN EN 60601-1-2:2016 with the title “Electromagnetic disturbances – Requirements and tests.” At the end of 2020, a new version of this “EMC standard” – modified by Amendment 1 and called Edition 4.1 – was published.
DetailsThreat modeling is a “mandatory” topic for all manufacturers of medical devices that contain or are software. This is because threat modeling is a structured process for the systematic analysis of IT security risks that auditors consider to be the “state of the art.”
Cytotoxicity testing can be used to test a sample to determine how much it can damage, or even cause the death of, human cells. Standards and legislation require manufacturers to demonstrate that their devices are not cytotoxic. With a good test setup, it is possible to detect whether a sample is 100% cytotoxic, i.e., highly cytotoxic, or…
DetailsThe Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC) is generally applicable to machines of all types. However, the directive can also be relevant for medical device manufacturers: both the MDR and the IVDR refer to it. If the Machinery Directive comes into play, requirements that go beyond those of the MDR and IVDR apply. Therefore, this article will give you an…
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