
Readers’ Choice: Top 10 StarFish Medical articles of 2017
Our newsletter features a monthly collection of StarFish medical articles, images, events and videos. We aim to share our knowledge and expertise to all levels of medical device colleagues. Once a year we share what was hot with our readers. Just in case you missed that issue.
Below are our Top 10 StarFish Medical newsletter reads of 2017. They reflect the diversity and talents of our employees, clients, and readers.
- Entrepreneurship and emotional resilience Our most read StarFish Medical article in 2017 is a speech Scott Phillips gave when he won the Technology category of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2017 Pacific Awards ceremony held in Vancouver BC. Scott shared his acceptance speech for blog readers who are entrepreneurs or about to embark on the journey. “The award is a team award for what we’ve achieved together because StarFish and ViVitro are really about team effort.”
- 11 Lessons learned from medical device projects Tying for the top spot is a group blog created by the StarFish content team – we value teamwork and collaborate on all of our medical device development projects. We asked our writers to identify medical device project tips they’ve learned from on the job experience. The result is 11 solid tips that will help you commercialize your medical device.
- Apply for a job at StarFish Medical: our interview process This blog is one of two top read blogs from our New Writers Issue. HR Manager, Jess Hickman writes: “The interview process was surprising to me when I applied to StarFish Medical for an administrative role six years ago. I was brought in for two rounds of interviews. In years past, I had only ever had a single interview with a company before being offered a position. Looking back on that now, I was naïve in believing that the company knew enough about me, and in turn, that I knew enough about them to accept a position.” The blog is also a Top 10 read on our website.
- How ISO 13485:2016 section 7 changes impact your QMS Michael May’s sophomore blog follows 2016’s Top 10 first installment of his ISO 13485:2016 analysis. “There is no question whether ISO 13485:2016 section 7 changes will impact your Quality Management System (QMS). In my previous blog I stated that the two major themes in changes to the ISO 13485 standard are taking a risk based approach and documenting everything. They are also two of the core differences in section 7, Product Realization.”
- 6 things to avoid when developing wearable medical devices Christine Park’s blogs on color were a huge hit in 2016. Her new two-part blog on wearables is easily as popular with our readers. Wearable medical devices are a fast growing market and many companies are rushing to get devices to this rapidly evolving space. Although market advantage is critical for technology based devices, it is more important is to review and address any high risk issues carefully during each step of development to ensure a successful design. Don’t miss her companion blog on things you should do when developing wearable devices.
- Medical device miniaturization options and trade-offs Peter Kazakoff’s debut blog is the second New Writer’s entry in our 2017 Top 10 reads. “Smart watches, near field tags, fitness trackers – everywhere you look, electronics are getting smaller. Medical devices are no exception, with many medical device manufacturers targeting very small form-factors for their devices. When miniaturizing a device’s electronics, there are several approaches. Ultimately, a successful device miniaturization strategy must take into account the needs of the product. We now have the ability to make electronic devices smaller than ever before, but like everything in product design, the successful engineer must consider all the trade-offs.”
- Inexpensive prescreening strategies for medical device EMC compliance should have its own fan club. It has been on our Top 10 list since it debuted in 2013. Bjarne Hansen is an Electrical Engineer at StarFish Medical. Bjarne has been contributing to novel medical products at StarFish for 13 years, and particularly enjoys designing embedded systems. This article includes steps one can take during product development to ease the task of medical device EMC compliance. As a bonus, Bjarne includes lots of images to help illustrate his points.
- Our 10 most read medical device blogs of 2016 Wonder why we keep compiling annual lists? Our annual summary of most read medical device blogs is always popular. It may also feel familiar. The top four blogs of 2016 were previously on the 2015 list. This year only two are from prior lists. What makes them stand the test of time? Check them out and let us know. We’d love to share more on topics that resonate with readers.
- Areas to consider when preparing for MDR 2017/745 Our Regulatory Affairs Manager/ Senior QA Specialist, Virginia Anastassova, advises: “Start early to avoid surprises!” Europe’s medical device directive (MDD) is changing as a result of MDR 2017/745 published on May 5, 2017. The new regulations will come into full force in Q2 2020, after a 3 year transition period. With over 300 pages, you probably have a lot of questions about preparing for MDR 2017/745: What is new, what has changed, where to start and how this will affect you and your company. This blog highlights some of the main themes in the new regulations.
- How to identify a Conformité Européenne mark vs a China Export mark The Conformité Européenne (CE) mark is a common sight on products in North America, and Europe. However the China Export mark and CE mark are easily confused, which is understandable because they look almost identical. This similarity is something which has been acknowledged by the EU parliament. In his debut blog, Electrical Engineer, Ashwin Sira, explains the meaning of both marks and provides a simple way to differentiate them.
We hope you have enjoyed our Top 10 StarFish Medical articles in 2017. Please take a moment to subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Astero StarFish is the attributed author of StarFish Medical team blogs. We value teamwork and collaborate on all of our medical device development projects.
Image: 102106287 © Rudy Bagozzi | Dreamstime.com