6 November 2023

The GMDN (Global Medical Device Nomenclature) Agency has joined forces with tech consultancy Opencast for a major upgrade of its user platform and digital offering.

The GMDN is the leading global standard for the naming, classification, and categorisation of medical devices, providing a universal language for healthcare professionals, regulators, manufacturers and stakeholders to communicate and exchange vital information.

The GMDN Agency is a registered UK charity and non-profit organisation responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the GMDN database, which is used by regulators in over 70 countries across the globe, with members in 145 countries.

Its new partnership with Opencast will see it migrate the GMDN database to a new system that offers greater support and security, bringing its software and user experience capabilities to modernise the agency’s technology and scale its software development capabilities. The improvements are set to benefit both members of the GMDN and improve efficiencies for people working for the GMDN Agency.

Deniz Bruce, CEO at the GMDN Agency, said: “It is an exciting time at the GMDN Agency as we continue our mission to be the global leader in naming, describing and unambiguously identifying medical devices for the protection of patients.

“This project was started as an integral part of the agency’s 2023 strategic review and is the second phase of investment in our digital transformation project after the launch of our new public-facing website this year. The partnership with Opencast will strengthen our user experience and digital offering for our members and users for years to come as we continue to meet the evolving needs of all our stakeholders.”

Opencast provides services in user-centred design, software, digital & technical delivery, data architecture, DevOps, and cloud & platform engineering. With a team approaching 500 people, it supports clients in government, healthcare, and business, offering services including digital customer experience, data architecture and product and service innovation.

Opencast’s partnership with the GMDN Agency is part of an expansion of the consultancy’s work into the health sector, building on work delivered for the NHS Business Services Authority and others including digital health scale-up eConsult.

Welcoming the new partnership, Opencast director for health Paul Malcolm said: “We’re delighted to be starting work with the GMDN Agency. It is a respected not-for-profit that delivers important standards in categorising medical devices. Our software and user experience teams will help the agency to modernise its technology and scale its software development capabilities – enabling it to deliver its strategic vision to be at the forefront, globally, of naming and grouping of medical devices.”