10 of the Best Nurse Inventions
Ever wondered about the brilliant minds behind medical breakthroughs — the ones responsible for nurse inventions like disposable syringes and ostomy pouches? It turns out, many of these creative minds are nurses just like you. These dedicated individuals, driven by expertise and creativity, have not only transformed patient care but have also set the stage for future healthcare professionals to think outside the box.
Join us as we explore the top nursing inventions that revolutionized patient care. Perhaps you can take inspiration from these famous nurses and bring about new inventions in the nursing field as well.
Nurse Inventions: 10 Groundbreaking Ideas
- Crash cart
- Medical syringe
- Neonatal phototherapy
- FACES pain rating scale
- Bili-Bonnet
- Color-coded IV lines
- Snugli baby carrier
- Self-feeding apparatus
- McMurray enhanced airway
- Ostomy pouch
1. Crash Cart
Innovator: Anita Dorr
Contribution: Imagine the chaos before crash carts existed. An emergency hits, and you’re sprinting around the hospital to gather what’s needed. By the time you find it, it might be too late.
Nurse Anita Dorr was working in the 1960s in an emergency department when she noticed this exact problem. It took too long to gather crucial medical equipment. With her fellow nurses, she made a list of all the necessary items for emergencies and built the first crash cart prototype. This made sure that life-saving supplies were right there when needed. Today, her innovation in nursing is a global standard in critical care.
2. Medical Syringe
Innovator: Letitia Geer
Contribution: Syringes weren’t always user friendly. In the past, they required two hands to operate and weren’t disposable. Imagine the hassle of cleaning and disinfecting a syringe needing two hands free to do an injection. Thanks to Letitia Geer, another famous nurse in history, there’s now another option.
Greer saw the need for a better way to administer medications and, in 1950, she teamed up with engineers to create a disposable plastic syringe that’s not only easy to use with one hand but also cuts infection risks. This is one of the nurse inventions that revolutionized the medical field forever. So, the next time you give an injection, tip your hat to Letitia Greer.
3. Neonatal Phototherapy
Innovator: Sister Jean Ward
Contribution: Sister Jean Ward is another example of an inspiring nurse who generated healthcare invention ideas. Working as a neonatal nurse in the premature unit in England in the 1950s, Ward noticed that sunlight exposure reduced jaundice in newborns. After she shared her observation with a doctor, they decided to give her idea a try, using a machine with fluorescent bulbs to cure infants from jaundice. The results were impressive. Now, light therapy is the go-to treatment for neonatal jaundice worldwide.
4. Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale
Innovators: Donna Wong and Connie Baker
Contribution: This smart pain-rating scale was created by two nurses — Donna Wong, a pediatric nurse, and Connie Baker, a clinical research nurse. They came up with the scale in 1983 to help assess childrens’ pain levels. The FACES scale involves a range of facial expressions, from a happy face (meaning no pain) to a crying face (indicating the worst pain). It’s now commonly used in healthcare settings, particularly in pediatrics, for pain assessment and management.
5. Bili-Bonnet
Innovator: Sharon Rogues
Contribution: The Bili-Bonnet is another example of new inventions in the nursing field. It’s a wearable mask that protects a baby’s eyes during phototherapy. It was invented by neonatal nurse Sharon Rogue in the 1980s. This clever device provides great eye protection, stays in place when the baby moves around, and allows light to penetrate the entire head. In the mid-1990s, she also founded a company that features tailored diapers, pacifiers, positioning devices, and oral suction tools.
6. Color-Coded IV Lines
Innovators: Teri Barton-Salinas and Gail Barton-Hay
Contribution: Picture this: You’re in an emergency, needing to find the right IV line to give medication. The problem is, there are five of them and they all look identical in their clear tubes. Teri Barton-Salinas, a nurse, faced the same issue until she had a simple idea — why not make the lines different colors to easily tell them apart? With her sister, Gail Barton-Hay, they created ColorSafe IV lines and got a patent in 2003. Nurse inventions like this one foster positive change within the healthcare industry.
7. Snugli Baby Carrier
Innovator: Ann Moore
Contribution: Moore worked as a pediatric nurse with the Peace Corps. While working in Africa, she noticed that women used slings to carry their babies, providing a great deal of comfort and security to the child while keeping the wearer’s hands free. This way, mothers were able to do all the needed chores — cooking, working, and cleaning — while keeping their infants close. As a result, she created the original hands-free baby carrier (the Snugli) in the 1960s. Because of nursing inventions like this one, mothers around the globe can run errands while keeping their infants close.
8. Self-Feeding Apparatus
Innovator: Bessie Blount Griffin
Contribution: Bessie Blount Griffin — a nurse who worked with wounded soldiers in WWII — witnessed the hardships faced by amputated veterans. Driven by compassion, she created an electric self-feeding apparatus that allowed veteran amputees to feed themselves. Using common materials like molded plastic and ice picks, she created a prototype. Eventually, she designed a smaller portable version of her device and patented it in 1951. Now, whenever you see feeding machines, thank Bessie Blount.
9. McMurray Enhanced Airway (MEA)
Innovator: Roxanne McMurray
Contribution: Roxanne McMurray, a nurse anesthetist, identified a need for better airway management tools for patients with breathing complications, especially in older, obese, or sleep apnea-affected individuals. Through her nursing enterprise, she created the McMurray Enhanced Airway (MEA), helping patients to improve oxygenation during anesthesia.
Invented with patients in mind, the MEA features longer flexible tubing that efficiently extends beyond the tongue, keeping a patient’s airway open for improved ventilation and oxygenation during surgery or medical procedures. It offers easy and quick insertion without the need for special patient positioning or accessories. McMurray and her team were recognized at the 2023 ANA Innovation Awards for their efforts.
10. Ostomy Pouch
Innovator: Elise Sørensen
Contribution: Danish nurse Elise Sørensen faced a serious problem — her little sister had surgery and needed a colostomy for life. In addition to witnessing her sister’s situation, Sørenson worked with colostomy patients who inspired her to create an ostomy pouch, much like the ones used today. The pouch was liquid-tight, made of thin elastic material, hermetically sealed, and clung to the skin around the stoma opening. She patented it in 1954, and her idea still stands among the most life-changing nurse inventions.
Why Are These Nursing Innovation Examples Significant?
These are just a few examples of nurse-led innovations. They offer a glimpse into the dynamic and forward-thinking nature of nursing professionals, as they continually seek innovative ways to enhance patient care.
Nurse inventions continue to drive progress in healthcare. Beyond caregiving, nurses often identify challenges and inefficiencies in healthcare delivery. With their deep understanding of patient needs, nurses are uniquely positioned to develop solutions that improve patient experiences and create a stronger healthcare system.
Inspired by Nurse Inventions?
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