Nurses have and continue to revolutionize the healthcare industry in more ways than one. You might not know it, but several nurses have invented some widely recognized medical products over the years. This blog dives into the various nurses and their medical inventions that have changed healthcare for the better.
Before the crash art was invented, nurses and other medical professionals had to scramble to gather the necessary equipment to treat a patient in an emergency. Thanks to Anita Dorr, the concept of a crash cart was picked up and utilized ever since its invention in the 60’s (University of Illinois Chicago, n.d.). As you can imagine, countless lives have been saved over the years due to Anita’s practical and crucial invention – the crash cart.
Elise Sørensen, a nurse from Denmark, is responsible for the invention of the Ostomy bag in the 1950’s. She was inspired to create such a device when her younger sister had to undergo surgery that led to her having to have a colostomy indefinitely (Guideservice Danmark, n.d.). Before the colostomy pouch, many people would simply put a plastic bag over the stoma, which was far less sanitary and comfortable. Due to this groundbreaking invention, individuals in need of a colostomy are able to be active and live normal lives.
During World War 2, Bessie Blount Griffin had witnessed her fair share of badly wounded soldiers. Many of them left paralyzed or missing appendages from amputations, Bessie wanted to find a way to help them live as close to normal lives as possible. To give the soldiers a feeling of independence, she created a tool that allowed them to feed themselves: an electric feeding apparatus (Changemakers, n.d.). Bessie is a pioneer in the healthcare industry thanks to her passion for helping WWII veterans.
You might assume that the invention of color coded IV lines came about in a previous century, but you would be wrong! Sisters Teri Barton-Salinas and Gail Barton-Hay created the idea of color coded IV lines in the early 2000’s when they realized how much time was being wasted untangling the IV cords when they needed to quickly administer an IV to a patient (Johnson&Johnson, n.d.). This time-saving invention has made the lives of nurses easier all around the world.
Before Letitia Greer made medical syringes easier to use in 1899, nurses were burdened with the task of having to clean each syringe, as they were not disposable at the time (Real, n.d.). Additionally, you had to use two hands when operating a syringe. Letitia enhanced medical syringes by not only making them more user friendly and operatable with one hand, but by also altering the material so that they could be easily disposed of. Another invention that saves time for nurses, the medical syringe was a gamechanger to the healthcare industry.
We hope you were able to learn something new and interesting from our blog about medical products invented by nurses! Speaking of products - don’t forget to check out our blog that covers the best products you’ll need as a nurse. You can also search our open jobs if you’re looking to start your dream job with Favorite!
https://nursing.jnj.com/innovate-with-us/finding-inspiration
https://www.guideservicedanmark.dk/soerensen-elise
https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/items/show/169
https://nursing.jnj.com/innovate-with-us/finding-inspiration
https://www.stmarys.sa.edu.au/women-in-stem-letitia-geer.html