ipp. easy13485The MedTech Field Guide · No. 0600
Topic of the month · The PRRC & MDR Article 15No. 06 · 2026
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Article 15 has entered the chat.

Somebody said ‘compliance’ three times — and now the PRRC is here. No, they are not your emergency alarm.

Turn the page
Chapter 01 · Cold open

Somebody said ‘compliance’ three times.
Now the PRRC is here.

Usually mid-crisis. Usually expected to make a problem vanish. A Notified Body emails, an incident lands, and someone remembers there's supposed to be a Person Responsible for Regulatory Compliance. But Article 15 didn't create a fire extinguisher — it created a role with duties that run continuously: checks before release, technical documentation and the Declaration of Conformity kept current, post-market surveillance, and vigilance. A role you only wake in an emergency is a role already behind.

I'm not the alarm you pull when it's burning. I'm the reason it doesn't get to burning. Big difference on audit day.
Chapter 02 · Role reality

The PRRC owns the connective tissue.

Article 15 puts on the PRRC

  • conformity is checked before devices are released
  • technical documentation & DoC are kept up to date
  • post-market surveillance obligations are met
  • vigilance reporting (incidents, FSCA, trends) happens on time

The PRRC does not own alone

  • fixing every root cause — action owners do the work
  • being the company's 24/7 emergency line
  • guaranteeing compliance with no authority or time
  • the business call to recall — but ensures the process runs
Chapter 03 · The wrong way

A name on an org chart is not a role.

  • A PRRC appointed on paper — no authority, no time, no budget
  • The founder self-appoints at 11 p.m., minus the Article 15 qualification
  • Vigilance policy: ‘we'll report it if someone asks’
  • PMS is a folder nobody opens; the PSUR is written the night before
  • The PRRC is only summoned once something is already on fire
As seen in no compliant company

PRRC-in-a-Box™

Just add a name!* Instantly satisfies Article 15 — on paper, in the wrong font, with no authority whatsoever.

A title without authority, qualification and time isn't a PRRC. It's a liability with a lanyard.
Chapter 04 · The easy13485 way

Give the role a mandate, and the clock a keeper.

01 · Mandate

A real appointment

Name, qualification, authority and time — in writing. Small company? An external PRRC works, if permanently and continuously available.

PRRC role training
02 · Release gate

Living docs, checked

Conformity confirmed before release; technical documentation and the Declaration of Conformity kept current — not reconstructed later.

Evidence & Tech Doc
03 · Post-market

The engine that runs

PMS plan → PMS report / PSUR on schedule; vigilance decision logic and timelines; complaints feed CAPA; FSCA ready before you need it.

QMSaaS
Give me a mandate and a calendar, and vigilance stops being a fire drill. The reportable stuff gets reported — on time, without the adrenaline.
Chapter 05 · Recurring design

Post-market is where the PRRC lives.

The role touches Build (docs before release) but its home is the post-market reality of Operate & Scale.

Stage 01
Claim Check
Know what you must report.
▸ regulatory route
  • Intended use & class
  • Applicable obligations
  • Light · Essential · Certified
Stage 02
Explore & Plan
Plan the post-market path.
▸ PMS & vigilance plan
  • PMS plan & indicators
  • Vigilance decision logic
  • PRRC mandate & roles
Stage 03
Build & Document
The docs the PRRC stands behind.
▸ tech doc & DoC
  • Tech doc kept current
  • Declaration of Conformity
  • Conformity checked pre-release
Stage 04
Automate
The system watches the clock.
▸ deadlines surfaced
  • PSUR & PMS due dates
  • Draft vigilance assessments
  • The decision stays human
Stage 05
Operate & Scale
Where the PRRC lives.
▸ post-market reality
  • PMS reports & PSUR
  • Vigilance & FSCA
  • Complaints → CAPA

Vigilance has clocks. The PRRC's job is to start them on time — not to discover them when they've already run out.

Walk the full Journey
Chapter 06 · Assets shelf

The PRRC shelf — proof, tools and the source map.

All resources
Chapter 07 · Do this next

Three moves before your next audit.

1

Put the PRRC's name and authority in writing

A title with no mandate, time or qualification is a finding waiting to happen. Fix the paperwork and the power behind it.

2

Write the vigilance decision rule now

When is something reportable, and in what timeline? Decide the logic in calm, so the clock never starts in a panic.

3

Schedule the PMS report / PSUR like a deadline

Post-market evidence is a cadence, not a someday. A date on the calendar beats a good intention every time.

The MedTech Field Guide
No. 06 · PRRC Edition · 2026
The full story

Be a role, not an alarm.

The full PMS, vigilance and complaint processes, the PRRC mandate and the role training live in the Makerspace and on ipp-nbg.de. Bring your appointment letter — we'll help you make it mean something.

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Field Guide No. 06 · 2026
A recurring series. Next: Clinical.