FDA’s Unique Device Identification System

In an opinion piece published in JAMA Internal Medicine, Pew researchers describe how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new unique device identifier (UDI) system can provide doctors, health plans, and patients with better information on the safety and performance of medical devices.

The authors describe essential next steps for fully achieving the UDI system’s benefits, including through its incorporation into electronic health records and health insurance claims. Medical device registries should also be used to integrate UDI data from these records to help physicians improve clinical care.

Read the full article. 

Authors: Josh Rising, MD, MPH; Ben Moscovitch