Medical devices
Definitions
What is health technology?
Health technology is the application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of life.* It is used interchangeably with ‘health care technology’.
What are medical devices?
Brief definition: An article, instrument, apparatus or machine that is used in the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of illness or disease, or for detecting, measuring, restoring, correcting or modifying the structure or function of the body for some health purpose. Typically, the purpose of a medical device is not achieved by pharmacological, immunological or metabolic means.*
For the full definition as finalized by the Global Harmonization Task Force in May 2012 and now under the archives of the International Medical Device Regulators Forum, please follow link below.
Medical equipment are defined as medical devices requiring calibration, maintenance, repair, user training and decommissioning – activities usually managed by clinical engineers.
WHO Medical Devices Technical Series
Publications on Medical Devices
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Medical device donations: considerations for solicitation and provision. Second edition
Medical devices are used for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illness and diseases and for rehabilitation. WHO developed guidance on medical...
Access to appropriate, affordable, effective, and safe health technologies is paramount, especially in low-resource settings, where burden of non-communicable...
The purpose of this document is to provide technical specifications to medical mask manufacturers. The document is intended mainly for manufacturers but...
Following adoption of resolutions WHA60.29 on health technologies and WHA70.12 (1,2) on cancer prevention and control, the World Health Organization...
Technical specifications for pre-market assessment of blood pressure measuring device with cuff, automated...
The purpose of this document is to provide technical specifications for manufacturers of blood pressure measuring devices (BPMD). This document is intended...
The HHFA Comprehensive guide serves as the main reference document for planning and implementing a country HHFA. This guide will promote understanding...
Global atlas of medical devices 2022
The focus of the 2022 edition of the Global Atlas is to point out how the status of medical device topics supports or hinders the accomplishment of...
Continuous developments in science and technology are increasing the availability of thousands of medical devices – all of which should be of good...
The objective of the 2022 Compendium is to compile and highlight emerging innovative health technologies for low-resource settings. It presents a...
Good practices in the rational and effective use of oxygen
In the face of rapid increases in the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean, coupled with shortages of human and...
List of priority medical devices for the first level of care for the countries of the Americas. Third...
In the countries of the Region of the Americas, there are different forms of organization of health services at the first level of care. Some countries...
HEARTS in the Americas: Regulatory pathway to the exclusive use of validated blood pressure measuring...
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of disease burden globally. According to the 2017 Global Burden of Disease estimates, there were 14 million...
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