How is a "clinical trial" defined concerning medical devices?

A clinical trial is defined as a carefully controlled study aimed at evaluating the safety and effectiveness of a medical device on human subjects. This process is crucial in the regulatory landscape, particularly for device approval, as it provides empirical evidence regarding how the device performs in real-world scenarios.

Clinical trials are typically structured to gather data on various endpoints, such as patient outcomes, adverse effects, and comparison with existing standards of care. The results from these trials are essential for regulatory authorities, like the FDA, as they determine whether a medical device can be deemed safe for public use and whether it works as intended.

The other options do not align with the definition of a clinical trial. A market study focusing on pricing strategies, for instance, does not involve the assessment of safety or effectiveness and instead analyzes market dynamics. An analysis of competitor devices in the market is more about understanding the competitive landscape rather than assessing a device’s performance. Similarly, surveys about design preferences focus on user experience and feedback and do not involve safety or effectiveness assessments.