Gap analysis is a process that compares an organisation’s current state to its desired future state in order to identify any gaps or disparities that need to be addressed through remediation activities.
It is a process of reviewing and evaluating an organisation’s medical device documentation in order to identify gaps or deficiencies when compared to defined requirements. In the context of a medical device company, a gap analysis can be an effective tool for identifying areas for improvement in product design, development, manufacturing, testing, regulatory compliance, and other key areas of the business that are related to regulatory compliance and quality management systems.
Some specific examples of how gap analysis can be valuable for medical devices companies include:
1. Identifying areas of non-compliance with regulatory standards: Medical devices are subject to various regulatory standards depending on the regions they sell into, such as EU IVDR, UK MDR 2002 and FDA 21 CFR. Gap analysis can help a company identify areas where it may not comply with these standards and develop a plan to address these issues.
2. Improving product development processes: Gap analysis can be used to identify opportunities for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of a company’s product development process. This might include identifying bottlenecks or inefficiencies in the development process or identifying areas where new technologies or approaches could be used to improve product quality or speed up development.
3. Identifying opportunities for cost savings: Gap analysis can help a medical device company identify areas where it can save money, such as by streamlining manufacturing processes, reducing waste, or identifying opportunities for bulk purchasing.
4. Improving customer satisfaction: Gap analysis can be used to identify areas for improvement in meeting the needs of its customers and develop strategies for improving customer satisfaction.
5. Design documentation: Gap analysis of design documentation, which may include technical documentation related to the design and development of the medical device, such as design inputs, outputs, and verification and validation activities, allows for spotting gaps in the product design and identifies required documentation that could be missing.
6. Manufacturing documentation: Gap analysis of manufacturing documentation, which may include documentation related to the production and assembly of the medical device, including process control procedures, quality control records, and material and component specifications, can spot potential cross-contaminations that can occur on the production lines when assembling the product.
7. Quality management system (QMS) documentation: Gap analysis of QMS documentation, which may include quality policies and procedures, training records, and internal audit records, can identify places for improvement of the product, internal processes enhancements and issues with regulatory compliance.
Overall, gap analysis can be an effective tool for helping a medical device company identify areas for improvement and develop a plan for addressing these issues to remain compliant and ensure business continuity.
References:
ISO 13485:2016 Medical devices – Quality management system – Requirements for regulatory purposes
Written by Paulina Gorecka, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance Consultant at LFH Regulatory Ltd.
