The main challenges in this process include identifying potential hazards, estimating and evaluating the associated risks, controlling these risks, and monitoring the effectiveness of the controls implemented.
Proper risk management is crucial to prevent harm to patients and users, ensure regulatory compliance, and maintain market access.
Our medical device team offers comprehensive risk management services tailored to the unique needs of your device.
We will develop and implement a thorough risk management process, including hazard identification, risk analysis, risk evaluation, risk control measures, residual risk assessment, and documentation. This ensures that your device meets all safety and regulatory requirements.
We can help you build and maintain the risk management within your quality management system (QMS). This integration is crucial for ensuring that risk management activities are consistently applied and effectively monitored. A well-implemented risk management process within the QMS helps ensure the proper and ongoing management of product risks, leading to better compliance, enhanced safety, and improved product performance.
We handle risk management in multiple ways
What can we do for you?
Our medical device team can engage with you at any stage of the device lifecycle, from initial development to post-market surveillance. Whether you are developing a new device or managing an existing one, we are here to ensure your risk management process is robust, compliant, and effective.
Approach & Expertise
Learn how we can support you in meeting your business goals
- Understanding Your Product: We begin by thoroughly understanding your medical device, including its intended use, user profile, indications, and potential clinical benefits. This foundational knowledge is critical for identifying relevant hazards and risks.
- Identifying Standards and Guidelines: We will identify all applicable standards and regulatory guidelines, particularly ISO 14971, to ensure your risk management process complies with international and regional requirements.
- Risk Identification and Analysis: Using various tools and techniques, we will identify potential hazards and analyze the associated risks. This involves estimating the severity and probability of harm and documenting these findings in a risk analysis report.
- Risk Evaluation and Control Implementation: We will evaluate the identified risks to prioritize them and implement risk control measures. This may involve design changes, protective measures, and providing safety information to users.
- Residual Risk Assessment: After implementing risk controls, we will assess the residual risks to determine their acceptability. If necessary, additional risk control measures will be implemented.
- Design Impact as an outcome of Risk Management: After completing the risk evaluation, we will decide with you whether or not all risks are acceptable and if any adjustment is needed to your product.
- Documentation and Communication: Throughout the process, we will maintain detailed documentation in the risk management file. This includes the risk management plan, risk analysis, risk evaluation, risk control measures, and residual risk assessment.
- Ongoing Risk Management: Risk management is a continuous process. We can support your post-market surveillance activities to monitor and manage risks associated with your device after it has entered the market. This ensures that any new risks are promptly identified and mitigated.
Questions from our clients
FAQ Section
You can start by reviewing known hazards within your product and then work your way through imaginary scenarios of what might happen. Whichever path you choose risk management involves a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the device and its intended performance. Key considerations include:
Device functionality: Understanding the device's intended use, operating conditions, and performance parameters.
Patient population: Analyzing the target patient population, including age, medical conditions, and potential vulnerabilities.
Device interactions: Considering interactions with other devices, systems, or environments.
User factors: Assessing the potential for user errors, misuse, or misunderstandings.
Environmental factors: Identifying potential hazards arising from the device's use or storage environment.
The choice of risk assessment method depends on the complexity of the device, the nature of the risks, and how you want to deal with these risk as a company. Common methods include:
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA): A systematic process to identify potential failure modes and their effects on the device and patient.
Fault Tree Analysis (FTA): A top-down approach to identifying the causes of a specific undesirable event.
Hazard and Operability (HAZOP): A structured group technique to identify and assess potential deviations from design intent.
It's often beneficial to combine multiple methods to obtain a comprehensive risk assessment.
Determining acceptable risk levels is a complex decision that involves balancing the benefits of the device against the potential harm. Key factors to consider include:
Regulatory requirements: Adherence to specific risk acceptance criteria outlined in regulations.
Risk-benefit analysis: Weighing the potential benefits of the device against the identified risks.
State-of-the-art performance: Considering the level of safety and performance that can reasonably be expected from similar devices.
It's important to document the rationale for accepting specific levels of risk.
The risk management file is a living document that should be updated throughout the device lifecycle. Key activities include:
Periodic review: Conducting regular reviews of the risk management file to identify changes in risks or control measures. These reviews should be planned at certain times but also can happen when there is a significant update on the design and/or operations.
Design changes: Updating the risk management file to reflect any modifications to the device design.
Manufacturing changes: Assessing the impact of manufacturing changes on device safety and performance.
Adverse event reporting: Incorporating information from adverse event reports into the risk management process.
Clinical data: Utilizing clinical data to update risk assessments and control measures.
Changes on Benchmark Products: If your competition experiences adverse events or new data becomes available you can use this information to assess the risks for your own product.
Maintaining a well-documented and up-to-date risk management file is essential for demonstrating compliance with regulations and ensuring patient safety. Better to follow a proactive approach rather than a reactive one.