title: Medical device problem reporting for the betterment of healthcare.
abstract: Given that there are nearly 5,000 individual classes of medical devices, tens of thousands of medical device suppliers, and millions of healthcare providers around the world, device-related problems are bound to happen. But effective problem reporting can help reduce or eliminate many of these problems--not only within an institution, but also potentially around the world. In this article, we trace the problem reporting process from its beginnings in the hospital to its global impact in making critical information available throughout the healthcare community.
mesh_terms: D004868:Equipment Failure; D004869:Equipment Safety; D004864:Equipment and Supplies / Q000592:standards*; D004865:Equipment and Supplies, Hospital / Q000592:standards; D005568:Forms and Records Control; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008284:Maintenance and Engineering, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration; D011358:Product Surveillance, Postmarketing; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012308:Risk Management / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States