Entries by jasonpartin

How to learn the European Union Medical Device Regulation (EU-MDR)

3-minute read. The new European Medical Device Regulation will be required for all medical devices sold in the EU. This was motivated by citizens demanding safer healthcare; the United States is considering similar changes. To learn more about the EU-MDR, do what Chuck Norris would do. You could also read the official MDR and guidance […]

What would it look like?

Kristy asked me a question I couldn’t answer: How did she receive a risky spine implant two weeks after a class-action lawsuit was settled against the manufacturer of that device? After two days of thought I replied: What would it look like to ensure that doesn’t happen to anyone else? This is the result. Background […]

How to apply risk-controls and risk-benefit analysis

4 minute read. This article shows how to apply risk-control and perform Risk-Benefit analysis for the European Union Medical Device Regulation. You may have reached this from my article on the MDR big picture; Risk-Benefit analysis the final step in reducing risk As Far As Possible. I’ll use Harry “The Hat” Anderson to illustrate that […]

Continuous Improvement

This is a work in progress. It’s my first attempt to link diverse topics from my work, and there’s likely an improved version on my blog. A client’s employee complained about something I said in a workshop. Since then I’ve said it in almost every workshop, monitored it for effectiveness, improved it, and built upon […]

This is clear, easy to understand, and unambiguous

This article shares the psychology of why teams resist change using an application of new medical device standards. Reducing risk As Far As Possible (AFAP) has been one of the most confusing parts of the European Union Medical Device Regulation (EUMDR). Officials have tried to offer guidance. First, they modified the international standard for risk […]

How to make state of the art medical devices

This is an older version, kept on my site because other articles link to it. I recommend switching to the newer version. 7 minute read. Beginning in 2020 the new European Union Medical Device Regulation will protect patient safety by requiring healthcare companies to make products that are “state of the art,” a term that’s […]

The MDR big picture

7 minute read. The new European Medical Device Regulation will be required for all medical devices sold in the EU. This was motivated by European citizens demanding safer healthcare; the United States is considering similar changes. This article is the EU-MDR big picture with links to learn more. WHY Almost 400,000 people received toxic implants […]

How to reduce risk As Far As Possible

In 1987 Chuck D, frontman of the hip-hop group Public Enemy, asked: “How low can you go?” In 2017 Europe responded: “As Far As Possible.” The new European Union Medical Device Regulation entered into effect in 2017 and will require devices to reduce risk As Far As Possible by 2020. Noncomplying devices will be removed […]

Hiking over the Himalayas helped me…

I hiked over one of the world’s highest mountain passes in a four-week journey, offline, without plans. This blog describes people I met, life in the Himalayas, altitude sickness (and rescues), and methods I used to develop mindfulness that allowed me to overcome a decade of suffering from chronic pain. It began in the town […]