In frontline primary care, medical instruments must perform flawlessly so that professionals can provide accurate diagnoses. Precision is critical but these products also need to be reassuring to both professional and patient. Their design can set a patient’s expectations of healthcare for life.
Understanding the patient experience
The Welch Allyn pocket set is one of the first medical devices a patient encounters. To patients, it is as iconic a symbol as the stethoscope so we needed to ensure that their interaction with it was natural and positive. Accordingly, we designed the new set to have a soft, warm, almost organic feeling; products to be welcomed not feeling sharp, cold and invasive.
Improving the professional experience
In Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, accuracy is key. Healthcare professionals are often the first to detect chronic systemic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes. We understood that providing a more lightweight and robust tool would enhance the professional experience. In particular, our new design sought to reduce strain and maximise accuracy during clinical examinations.
A tradition of innovation
Welch Allyn has maintained market leadership in Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology for over 100 years. Our goal was to design a new pocket set that was cost effective to manufacture, meeting new global market demands, and that also preserved Welch Allyn’s heritage of driving innovation and excellence.
Increasing the return on investment
The redesign of the Otoscope head saved 25 cent per unit while a 15% cost reduction was achieved for the combined set. In excess of 400,000 pocket sets are sold per annum amounting to a substantial savings return for Welch Allyn.
