Besides a heart to serve and the knowledge and skill learned for specific conditions and patient populations, nurses use an enormous number of things in the provision of care –tools, medical equipment, healthcare supplies, assessment scales, monitoring devices, and others. Every single device or supply, or psychometric tool was designed by someone who recognized the need for it, primarily to provide better care or enhance the provision of care by the healthcare worker. Innovation is the development and implementation of new ideas, methods, technologies, or processes that improve patient care, enhance nursing practice, or increase efficiency within healthcare systems.
As frontline caregivers, nurses are uniquely positioned to spot inefficiencies, identify unmet patient needs, and develop practical, impactful solutions. Nurses are natural innovators due to our deep understanding of both the human and operational aspects of care. What sets nurses apart in the world of healthcare innovation is our ability to blend deep clinical insight with an intimate understanding of what patients truly need—comfort, dignity, safety, and compassion. In fact, some of the most transformative advances in healthcare have come from nurses just like you.
Anita Door, an emergency room nurse in the 1960s, became frustrated watching precious minutes lost during codes while staff hunted for supplies. She built the first prototype of the crash cart herself—a practical, lifesaving solution that is now standard in every hospital. Sister Jean Ward in England in the 1950s noticed that infants exposed to sunlight had improvement in their jaundice, a condition for which blood transfusion was the standard treatment at the time. After several years, her work led to the development of phototherapy, an artificial light source to treat jaundice in newborns. Other amazing innovations by nurses include:
- Elise Sorensen – Ostomy bag
- Adda M. Allen – Disposable liners for baby bottles
- Bessie Blount Griffin – Electronic feeding device and disposable emesis basin
- Ann Moore – Snugli Baby carrier
- Donna Wong and Connie Baker – Wong-Baker FACES ® Pain Rating Scale
In case you missed it, check out this month’s Nursing Grand Rounds, where Jay Gandy from UAMS BioVentures came to discuss how nurses can take a great idea and turn it into a healthcare solution.
Our profession has always demanded both creativity and courage. We don’t just manage illness; we advocate for healing. We don’t just follow protocols; we find new paths when the old ones fail. That’s innovation—and it happens every day in the hands and hearts of nurses across the care continuum.
