InFocus - Issue 6, April 2018
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Delivering disposable hygiene products through Blackbox Innovations™
Since its introduction in 2016, the PENTAX Medical Blackbox Innovations™ program has become an important part of our global approach to endoscopic R&D. A number of exciting new product launches have already resulted from this innovative approach, which directly involves our customers in our new product development process.
The latest of these new products is the unique DEC™ Duodenoscope with a disposable elevator cap. This was developed to address the increasing incidences of cross-contamination1 with different types of pathogens that may be linked to improper cleaning or disinfection of the elevator mechanisms of duodenoscopes used in ERCP procedures. Feedback from our KOL (Key Opinion Leader) customers in Blackbox Innovation workshops was instrumental in making this product the success that it is today.
Dedicated workshops providing unique insights
Our ongoing program allows our customers to gain unique insight of the manufacturing process of an endoscope. The dedicated workshops take place at one of our four global R&D sites which provide the perfect environment for innovation. An integral function of these sessions is to provide a forum for detailed discussion of unmet needs and challenges in clinical practice and collaborative exploration of potential solutions. Finally, the users have a chance to try out early prototypes and provide real-time feedback during a hands-on session.
More disposable hygiene-focused products
With the growing global drive for improved infection prevention within endoscopy, PENTAX Medical recognises the importance of developing more disposable endoscopy products that can enhance hygiene and ultimately patient safety. We received a great deal of interest in this significant issue. We therefore doubled the workshop duration and frequency, running two this year for the topic of another new hygiene-focused disposable product.
From these latest workshops, we were extremely fortunate to receive feedback from eleven doctors across eight countries. The PENTAX Medical R&D team presented our latest new hygiene disposable innovation to these KOLs in order to demonstrate how the innovative design concept can address hygiene challenges and the unmet needs of doctors, nurses and hospitals in general.
1J. Kovaleva 694 / Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology 30 (2016) 689-704
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