Penn Nursing’s Innovation Accelerator
Jennifer Polo presenting a slide about the IMPACTT- Stem Cell Transplant Module that guides a patient from the intake session through customizable educational and survey sessions to transplant during the 2023 Penn Nursing Innovation Accelerator Pitch Event in March 2023.
The importance of nursing in maintaining patient safety cannot be overstated. Nurses are often the providers who are with patients the most and can recognize harm before it occurs. Nurses are the frontline of defense against medical error. They also have the clinical expertise to think of innovative ways to solve problems in patient safety that need solutions the most. This is why the Patient Safety Technology Challenge, funded by the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative was thrilled to sponsor a $10,000 track at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing’s Innovation Accelerator.
The Penn Nursing Innovation Accelerator provides funding and mentorships for Penn Nursing students, recent graduates, and faculty to create and test early-stage solutions to improve health and health care outcomes with an emphasis on populations of greatest need. The Patient Safety Technology Challenge Track asked for teams to submit an innovative technology-based solution addressing one or more of the five leading causes of patient harm. There were information sessions throughout the fall for interested groups to learn more. The event was comprisedof three rounds: Round 1,an online application that kicked off October 1, 2022; Round 2, which consisted of interviews; and Round 3, a pitch event held on March 2, 2023.
The winning team, Making an IMPACTT: the Future of Healthcare Patient Education was led by Jennifer Polo, RN, with team members Carrie Marvill, RN, Mary Pat Lynch, DNP, RN, Sarah Kagan, PhD, RN and Rachel Coughlin, DNP, RN. Jennifer Polo is an oncology medicine nurse determined to provide a resource for patients who recently received a cancer diagnosis. Polo referenced the fact that “80% of medical information is forgotten after a visit.” Giving patients the tools so they are well-informed will lead to less anxiety and better outcomes. So, the team created IMPACTT, a free educational platform for every patient and their caregiver. The library of materials, including educational information, questionnaires, and connections before treatment, enables patients to be partners in their care. IMPACTT also allows patients to connect with a supportive care team through the application and collects informatics from the survey data and performs real-time monitoring that can provide insights to the care team.
The team is working with graphic and instructional designers as well as to draft a prototype. With the funding from the Patient Safety Technology Challenge, they plan to complete the STEM Cell Transplant Module and deploy it for patient use later this year. Polo believes “we can't solely rely on small print, multi-page discharge instructions and expect that to meet patient needs. Everyone should be able to have accurate information in a way they understand, whether it be video, pictures, or reading so they can take part in their care.” The Patient Safety Technology Challenge is very excited to fund this fresh solution to a persistent issue.