Translating Complex Medical Information: Keep It Simple

Challenge 

A large pharmaceutical client came to us for a third-party evaluation of their Instructions for Use (IFU) for an injection device. They had been working with an external design firm to develop the IFU, and had added a large number of images in the hopes of making the IFU easier to understand. 

Solution

Battelle reviewed the draft IFU and discovered that as they added more and more images, the actual outcome was an increase in failures when patients tried to use the IFU. In an alternative approach to the image-filled IFU, we researched the procedure and created a single graphic that visually walked the patient through the steps required for use. 

Outcome 

The IFU provided an effective translation of what the client believed needed to be communicated into a format that the patient could understand, presented in a visually compelling design. The use of the single graphic IFU reduced the number of use failures by patients.