The GMDN Membership Model
The GMDN Membership Model
The Global Medical Device Nomenclature (GMDN) Agency exists to improve patient safety by providing the world’s most widely adopted medical device nomenclature as a public good. We are a UK‑registered charity and independent, non‑profit organisation; our sole purpose is to create, maintain, and continuously improve the GMDN Database so that regulators, healthcare providers, manufacturers, and researchers can describe devices consistently and act on reliable information.
- Everyone (free registration): Any individual or organisation can register at no cost to search and use GMDN Term Names and Definitions, and access up to 10 GMDN Codes. Registration protects data integrity, enables direct communication from the Agency, and helps us meet regulatory and security requirements.
- Regulators and healthcare providers (full access, free): can obtain full sets of GMDN Terms with regular updates at no charge, supporting vigilance and procurement activities.
- Manufacturers, consultancies, and other commercial organisations (paid membership): Commercial users can opt in to a paid plan designed for an optimised user experience, with added features to improve organisational data management, enable notifications on updates from the GMDN on new terms and term changes. This option also helps contribute to the Agency’s funding model, helping us deliver on our vision and mission.
Today, the GMDN community includes more than 13,000 members, the vast majority of whom make use of our basic (free) membership. This broad base reinforces our commitment to equitable access while allowing those with commercial needs to benefit from additional tools and support.
Independence by design
Our funding model is purpose‑built to protect the Agency’s impartiality and independence. Unlike other nomenclatures that are taxpayer funded, we are funded by our members in the MedTech industry. No single member contributes more than 2% of total income, ensuring that GMDN remains neutral, globally useful, and responsive to all of our stakeholders.
We have no subsidiaries, franchises, or licensed entities outside the UK, and our charity status keeps our mission—patient safety—at the centre of every decision.
Membership supports global harmonisation
GMDN is trusted in over 140 countries, and our governance brings together perspectives from regulators, healthcare authorities, and industry through advisory bodies and our international Board of Trustees. This model enables rapid, clinically relevant updates and collaboration with global partners to advance harmonisation.
Benefits by GMDN membership type
Operational efficiency & scale. Paid membership streamlines management of your device portfolio by letting you organise and monitor the GMDN Terms and GMDN Categories you rely on, with tools, such as My Terms and My Categories, and alerts that reduce manual effort and rework as the nomenclature evolves.
Multi-user access. These GMDN membership types benefit from having the ability to have multiple account users. Useful if your organisation is large or geographically distant.
Regulatory readiness. Using the GMDN supports regulatory submissions, post‑market surveillance, and market access. reduces classification errors and supports smoother interactions with regulators across jurisdictions.
Data governance & quality. GMDN use can help drive cleaner internal data and better alignment across resource planning, quality, vigilance, and UDI processes—improving traceability and downstream analytics.
Time‑saving notifications. Optional notifications keep you ahead of changes to relevant Terms, helping teams maintain accuracy without constant manual checks.
Extra support. We offer training workshops delivered by our expert team to ensure you are using the GMDN to the best of your ability and meeting your needs.
For regulators, healthcare providers, and academic researchers (free full access)
Public‑interest access at zero cost. Full, regularly updated datasets support vigilance, procurement and asset management, research, and the safe, consistent naming of devices across complex health systems.
Faster, safer decisions. When hospitals, regulators, and researchers use the same language, safety signals are easier to detect, investigations move faster, and learnings can be shared more effectively.
Local integration. Organisations have access to downloads of GMDN Terms and/or Categories to enable integration into their own data systems and automation of internal processes.
For the medical device ecosystem (all GMDN members)
Open participation in improvement. Registered members can raise enquiries with our expert Term Development Team. They can also view proposed changes, comment, and ask questions—ensuring that expertise from around the world is reflected in the nomenclature. This collaborative model keeps GMDN current, clinically meaningful, and ready for innovative new technologies.
Why we require registration - (even for free access)
Registering to become a member of the GMDN preserves the integrity and security of the GMDN Database, supports timely communications about updates, and enables compliant, auditable access—similar to common practices at other global health standards bodies.
This approach safeguards the quality of the nomenclature while keeping access as open as possible. For full details see our licence agreement for GMDN members.