
Quality
packaging systems for sterile medical devices are essential for ensuring
that the global healthcare marketplace receives safe and efficacious
products. Contaminated products cannot be used, so it is imperative that the
systems designed to protect them are adequate to the task. Many national and
international standards have been developed to address packaging
sterilization and validation of sterilization process for both industry and
hospitals.
Packaging validation is a total process involving the identification and
control of materials and processing variables that affect the ability of a
packaged device to meet its acceptance requirements. The result of
validation produces several benefits. One of the benefits were financial
benefits that can be realized through reduced inspection, increased output,
fewer complaints, and minimized scrap and rework.
Packaging validation must address three basic elements: requirements,
assumptions, and capability assessments. It examines variations within a
package, from package to package. It also examines the interactions within
the handling and use system, which encompasses the manufacturing system,
human interaction with the package, and the distribution and storage system
and environment.
There are three approaches to validation: prospective, concurrent, and
retrospective. Prospective validation is performed before the packaged
device is commercially distributed. Concurrent validation is also performed
before the device is commercially distributed. Retrospective validation is
performed after the packaged device has been commercially distributed, it is
based on the review of data collected and maintained during production.