Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1446606
38 NURSING SPOTLIGHT 11 nurse innovators in 2021 By Erica Carbajal W hile nurses' clinical roles throughout the COVID-19 pandemic have dominated news stories, many nurses have also made headlines for creative medical innova- tions or entrepreneurship efforts aimed at improving patient outcomes and protecting healthcare workers. Here are stories about 11 nurse innovators Becker's published in 2021: 1. Barbara Wadsworth, DNP, RN, COO and chief nursing officer at Radnor Town- ship, Pa.-based Main Line Health, invented a fall-injury-prevention device, the health system said in November. Main Line Health has applied for a patent for the device, which is a portable airbag that is deployed if a sensor detects a patient is falling. 2. Hilary Rogers, RN, a nurse at Chat- tanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health System, launched an initiative to give hos- pitalized COVID-19 patients care pack- ages supported by community donations, NBC affiliate WRCB reported Oct. 25. The initiative started at Erlanger East Hospital in Chattanooga and has since expanded to several other hospitals in the system. 3. Marilyn Filter, PhD, RN, associate professor at University of Michigan-Flint's School of Nursing, and Lyn Behnke, DNP, an assistant professor of nursing at the col- lege, invented a new scope to make vaginal and rectal exams less invasive. The two nurses have spent the last two and one- half years developing the prototype and are now looking at starting clinical trials, according to an Oct. 19 news release. 4. Stephanie White, RN, on Oct. 23 opened a scrub apparel shop in Chesa- peake, Va., that features diverse styles of scrubs along with other medical accesso- ries and personal protective equipment, according to Inside Business. 5. Gracia Boseman, RN, and Kristy Causey, MSN, RN, designed a flu pandemic escape room that led to an increase in hand-washing and flu vaccine acceptance at Temple-based Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, according to a June 28 news release. 6. Toi Worthy, MSN, a family nurse practi- tioner in Ohio, was inspired to create a kit for at-home health monitoring after learning she had high blood pressure five years ago. e kit, which Ms. Worthy started selling in 2020, features a cardiology-grade stethoscope, pulse oximeter, wrist blood pressure cuff, contactless thermometer and a health resource guide, Spectrum News 1 reported June 16. 7. Rachell Dumas, RN, an Atlanta-based nurse who contracted COVID-19 while working on the pandemic's front line in 2020, launched a consulting company to help organizations improve pandemic preparedness, the Atlanta Journal Consti- tution reported March 31. 8. Timothy Aurelio, BSN, RN, an emer- gency room nurse at Providence, R.I.- based Roger Williams Medical Center, invented a portable case for clinicians to store their N95 masks, NBC affiliate WJAR reported March 29. 9. Anthony Scarpone-Lambert, a nursing student at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, created a wearable night- light to help clinicians avoid disturbing patients at night, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Feb. 3. n Nurses at hospitals with burnout reduction programs stayed at jobs 20% longer, UVA study finds By Kelly Gooch H ospitals that invest in nurse burnout reduction programs may see less burnout-attributed nurse turnover and associated costs, according to a study published in the Journal of Patient Safety. The study — led by Charlottesville-based University of Virginia Health System emergency room nurse and School of Nursing doctoral student Jane Muir, BSN, RN — examined the cost of nurse burnout-attributed turnover using data from more than 20 separate studies. Data was compiled us- ing a probability forecasting model called a Markov model, which created hypothetical hospital scenarios. Ms. Muir and her co-authors found that hospitals with burn- out reduction programs — through wage increases, profes- sional mobility, stress reduction and learning and leadership opportunities — spend an expected $11,592 per nurse per year employed on burnout-attributed turnover. This com- pares to $16,736 per nurse per year employed, or about 30 percent less, for facilities without such initiatives. The study also found that nurses working at hospitals with burnout reduction programs stayed at their jobs about 20 percent longer than nurses working at facilities without these programs. "Data don't lie," Ms. Muir said in a Dec. 14 news release. "There is an economic argument to be made for properly compensating and supporting nurses." To address the issue, hospitals should be proactive in supporting programs that reduce nurse burnout preva- lence and associated expenses, the study concluded. Ms. Muir said, for example, that it is important to assess nurse burnout during exit interviews and ensure these inter- views are consistent across units or hospital to hospital. n