ISO 13485 is hugely important to designers, manufacturers, and distributors of medical devices. Adopting this standard provides an effective solution to meet the comprehensive requirements for a QMS. Adopting ISO 13485 provides a practical foundation for manufacturers to address the regulations and responsibilities as well as demonstrating a commitment to the safety and quality of medical devices.
When it comes to medical device manufacturing, patient safety greatly depends on the quality and consistency of medical products, so ensuring effectiveness, control and maintenance of your QMS is critical to customers, stakeholders, patients and users, and regulatory agencies.
The value of ISO 13485 is not just in the implementation, but also in providing a tool for a thorough audit to test the effectiveness of the system. It provides the manufacturer with a higher level of confidence in the ability to consistently achieve and maintain compliance with regulatory requirements.
It can also help to minimise any surprises and failures which might adversely affect patient safety and damage a manufacturer's reputation.
An ISO 13485 certification gives both suppliers and service providers the opportunity to greatly enhance an organisation's marketability as more and more manufacturers require certification in order to do business with a vendor.