Of specialty interest: the Food and Drug Administration: a partner in safe practice

Have you ever wondered what really goes on at the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)? At each meeting of the Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head-Neck Nurses (SOHN) and the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) the FDA is repeatedly mentioned, and not always favorably! This article discusses the process of bringing new medical devices to market and explains how ORL (or ENT) nurses can contribute to the protection of the public health by providing medical device adverse event information to FDA.