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Medical Device Quality Management

ISO13485:2016

23 April 2014
Medical Device Quality Management

What is ISO13485:2016?

ISO 13485 is an international standard that defines the requirements for a Quality Management System (QMS) specifically designed for organizations involved in the design, production, installation, and servicing of medical devices. Its primary purpose is to ensure that medical devices are safe, effective, and consistently meet regulatory and customer requirements. Unlike the more general ISO 9001, ISO 13485 places a stronger emphasis on risk management, regulatory compliance, and maintaining (rather than continually improving) the quality system. It applies across the entire lifecycle of a medical device, from design and development to post‑market servicing. In practice, ISO 13485 is widely recognized by global regulators and is often required for companies seeking to place medical devices on international markets

The standard focuses on how your organisation;

  • Controls important documentation and records,
  • Manages the competency of employees & resources,
  • Manages quality and risk within your production or service provision process,
  • Manages critical suppliers and customer requirements,
  • Reviews internal processes and problems.

Organisations that we have helped comply with this standard;

  • Quoris 3D

New Paradigm Consulting specialises in helping organisations achieve ISO13485:2016. Here are some tips on how to get certified without creating lots of admin!

Approx 60% – 70% of ISO13485 requirements map across quite well to ISO9001 requirements. Therefore, adopting ISO13485 does not require a whole new management system. If you are already ISO9001 certified or running an ISO9001 compliant QMS (Quality Management System), then you simply need to build out a number of existing processes to get most of the way there. Don’t be tempted to develop lots of additional procedures / SOPs!

Make some time to think about sensible Contamination Control (Clause 6.4.2). What makes sense for your operations to ensure product is product efficiently, but also without significant risk from contamination. Make sure whatever you decide can be easily implemented and is easy to prove compliance with.

Spend sometime on the design and development requirements. There are additional requirements over and above that of ISO9001. It is important to get this aspect right, especially the management of change.

Ensure there is someone in the business or an external partner that can take the lead on helping to integrate legislative requirements into your QMS (EU MDR / U.S FDA Requirements for example)

Please contact New Paradigm Consulting if you need help with achieving or maintaining compliance to ISO13485:2016.

Please contact us if you wish to implement a management system compliant with ISO13485:2016 within your organisation.

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Standards

Is your company interested in gaining certification to any of the following standards?

We can discuss the implementation process, timescales and the availability of any funding for the project

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