[ 01 ]
The brief
Medical Expert by my Side set out to improve treatment for MS patients by building the knowledge and confidence of the healthcare professionals who give the infusion.
Healthcare · Pharma · 2019 to 2020
Roche MEBMS
Medical Expert by my Side: an AR training companion for OCREVUS infusion
Impact
4
Product pillars: checklist, patient manager, AR training and content library
6
Research methods, from simulation and shadowing to surveys
AR
Mobile augmented reality instead of paper handbooks and e-books
The problem
Nurses and physician assistants learning to administer OCREVUS, a multiple sclerosis treatment, relied on dense printed handbooks for a complex, closely monitored infusion process. Mistakes slow everything down, and many felt unsure about steps like premedication and vaccination status.
Roche management wanted tried-and-tested formats like e-books and videos, and worried AR would double the difficulty, as users would have to learn the technology before the treatment.
What I did
Rather than simply digitising documents, we proposed rethinking how the training is delivered, and proved it with the people who would use it.
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Make the technology simple
Moved from wearables to the device everyone already has: the phone. Our first win with stakeholders.
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Research in the field
Training simulations, interviews, shadowing nurses during real infusions, observation at the MS Nurse Academy in Berlin, surveys and user journey mapping.
- [ 03 ]
Reduce the content
Distilled books and documents into the few steps that matter most, with the rest available as a searchable library.
- [ 04 ]
Workshops that convince
Co-ideation sessions with Roche, then sessions with real users that management watched. Users responded strongly and remembered the steps better than with video or e-books.
- [ 05 ]
Prototype and test
Built a prototype that behaved like the final product and tested it with the nurses and assistants it was designed for.
The work
[ 02 ]
Research in the field
Six methods in one month: a training simulation, interviews with MS nurses, shadowing a physician assistant, observation at the MS Nurse Academy in Berlin, surveys and a status-quo user journey.
[ 03 ]
What we learned
The process is complex. Gravity and vein condition can slow an infusion, drip infusion is harder than an infusomat, and mistakes make everything take longer. Users loved one thing above all: the checklist. “The checklist is great, it’s like using a baking recipe!” (Jana B., physician assistant)
[ 04 ]
Information architecture and personas
One structure built around four tools, designed for two primary personas: Julia, 23, the structured newbie who has never done this before, and Emma, 35, an experienced career changer new to OCREVUS. Doctors who delegate the treatment were secondary users.
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Four pillars
A process checklist for the most important steps, a patient manager to track each infusion, AR training that works away from the clinic for ordinary and emergency cases, and a content library for everything else.
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The end-to-end journey
Every step from pre-treatment to the check-in 24 hours after infusion, mapped to the user’s activities, the printed materials it replaces and the pillar that supports it.
[ 07 ]
Built for practical and organisational skills
AR guidance shows where and how to place the cannula on a real person, while the process guide walks through every phase of preparation, so nurses can practise hands-on and stay organised.
[ 08 ]
The final product
Process guide, patient manager with live infusion timers, AR training and a knowledge library, delivered as one calm mobile app.
The outcome
“The training tool has helped nurses understand the process with ease and are able to administer without fear.” (Sales Head, Roche Pharma R&D)
A training approach that won over a sceptical management team and gave nurses a tool they could use anywhere.
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