Dubuque Times

Natural problem solvers, nurses are constantly innovating on the go, creating new ways to improve patient care. And no surprise, given it is estimated every 90 minutes on average, an unexpected problem pops up in a hospital. To bring those solutions to their larger clinical staff, Cleveland Clinic places a dedicated focus on elevating and empowering nurse-driven innovation.

That culture of empowerment led Jane Hartman, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC, at Cleveland Clinic, to invent the High-Line™, an IV carriage system that raises IV lines off the floor. The High-Line is a solution to ambulation and hazardous catheter dislodgement challenges observed in pediatric patients, which would coincidentally also solve an unexpected problem for a broader population in the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The High-Line was conceived because children are small and IV tubing is long and often dragging on the floor. I’ve been a pediatric nurse for 40 years and have a particular interest in preventing catheter line associated bloodstream infections in the pediatric population,” said Hartman. “So I created an initial concept, and with the help of my son, created a 3D printed prototype that would prove to be the catalyst for the creation of the High-Line.”

Commitment to a culture that encourages and fosters clinician-driven innovation

Successfully developing and commercializing a new product is not a one-person job; it requires collaboration, shared domain expertise and mentorship. As Hartman’s mentor, Nancy Albert, PhD, associate chief nursing officer for research and innovation at Cleveland Clinic, was a critical advisor for a product that would later be acknowledged as a key intensive care unit (ICU) innovation in the face of COVID-19, and earn Hartman the esteemed recognition of 2021 Cleveland Clinic Outstanding Innovation in Medical Device Award.

When initially introduced in 2017, the High-Line was met with great interest from the pediatric nursing community but was slow to move forward.

As the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, while reaching out to other hospitals to learn how they were dealing with various scenarios, the team at Cleveland Clinic discovered nurses were pulling IV poles and lines outside of the ICU room doors to minimize PPE use and patient exposure. Learning of this, Hartman saw an additional application for the High-Line and immediately reached out to Albert for guidance.

“I remember Jane running to my office and saying, Nancy, we have a new use for the High-Line to keep lines off the floor. It took COVID to make it happen, but the needs during that time allowed us to step forward in leaps and bounds,” said Albert. “As soon as we started giving prototypes to ICU nurses, they loved it and started asking for more.”

While the original run of the prototype was put into use in Cleveland Clinic facilities in mid-2020, Hartman also began working with Amanda Wochele and Bill Kolosi, associate director of med tech marketing and business development and product development manager for Cleveland Clinic Innovations, to seek a license partner to manufacture, market and distribute the High-Line device for broader use.

A natural partnership with a shared commitment to innovation

Recognizing it would require industry support to scale up and deliver the solution to other healthcare systems – Medline was approached.

“The Medline team was great in really wanting to understand the innovation, wanting to understand how it solved problems and willing to work with us on bringing the solution to market,” said Wochele.

Sharing in the appreciation for the importance of innovation, Medline is committed to enabling and accelerating the commercial availability of clinician driven solutions.

“Medline has the agility and scale to bring solutions to market. We are excited to marry our supply chain, engineer and marketing capabilities with the clinical expertise of Jane Hartman and Cleveland Clinic to help bring this product to market,” said Courtney Bott, director of product innovation for Medline. “It’s through partnerships with clinical front-line staff and working with our customers that we will solve healthcare’s greatest challenges.”

The High-Line product is expected to hit the market late summer 2022.

Learn more about how Medline is committed to enabling and accelerating the commercial availability of front-line staff driven solutions.

Original source can be found here.