The COVID-19 crisis has compelled Intermountain and SelectHealth caregivers to innovate daily. They’ve created new processes, safety measures, computer apps, devices, and countless other ways to improve patient care during the pandemic. If COVID-19 has pushed you to innovate in new ways that benefit patients and caregivers, Intermountain’s Foundry program can help evaluate, accelerate, and scale your innovation to its full impact potential.
- Natalie Hardman, a polysomnographic tech at American Fork Hospital, sewed buttons on her face shield strap to resolve her poorly fitting face shield strap and help with the mask pain. “My face shield modification is a twofer,” she said in a recent Yammer post. “By sewing buttons and button-holes on the elastic, it also helps with holding the surgical mask and saves your ears.”
- Gina Thackery, an administrative assistant in psychiatry at Wasatch Canyon Camp, borrowed a different solution off the web — a paperclip — to solve the sore ear problem.
- Caidan Willmore, a medical assistant at the Syracuse Clinic, solved the problem in a different way. “I mentioned to my little brother that mine and my colleagues’ ears were starting to get irritated,” she says. “He used his 3D printer to make me an ‘ear saver’ that I can hook my masks loops to behind my head. It has saved my ears for sure. People are getting really creative.”
- Brandon Turner from IS at Riverton Hospital also used a pattern he found online, developed by a Boy Scout, to 3D-print hundreds of ear savers and give them to hundreds of frontline caregivers. Read the full story.
- Kelsey McInelly, RN, from Garfield Memorial Hospital crocheted another variation on the ear saver idea. Hers has a button on each end that you loop the straps around. Nurse manager Amy Frandsen, RN, says, “I went to the nurses’ station the other day, and Kelsey was crocheting away making these great mask holders. Each of her coworkers that day were wearing one of them. She’d made an entire basket full.” Kelsey says, “I got the idea from one of the crochet groups I’m part of. I’ve made at least 40 of them for our acute care nursing staff.”
What do these innovators all have in common? They’re all creative problem-solvers who demonstrate the spirit of innovation. And you could be next. Your current or next innovation might be one that solves a nagging problem or saves lives and transforms how we deliver healthcare. Whether your idea is fully developed or just a kernel, the Foundry team would like to talk with you. The program is offering priority attention and resources to caregivers who want to develop, test, and scale innovations that can solve real problems during and after the pandemic.
If you have an innovation, the Foundry can offer the resources and expertise needed to move your innovation forward to fruition. The Foundry team can help you with things like understanding the market and competition, securing patent protection, and getting your innovation tested and out into the world. Or maybe you’re just interested in learning more about innovation and expanding your problem-solving innovation skills. Wherever you are in your innovation journey, the Foundry program can help with grant money, workshops, focused development boot camps, and a team of innovation experts available to accelerate innovations. All caregivers may participate, and all innovations and inventions are welcome.
More information on Foundry programs and grants are available at Intermountain.net/Foundry. You can also submit your innovation ideas online for an evaluation. Innovation workshops and boot camps are happening throughout the year, and space is still available for upcoming virtual workshops planned for May 14, June 12, and July 17. Innovators with more advanced solutions may want to apply for the next Solution Development Boot Camp, which is planned to start in mid-June.
To discuss your innovation directly with a Foundry team member, or to request a special innovation presentation or workshop for your team or department, e-mail Foundry@imail.org, or contact Randy Block, commercialization director, at randy.block@imail.org.