An ophthalmoscope that doesn’t walk away
May 1, 1999
Everyday Innovations
An ophthalmoscope that doesn’t walk away
Here’s an idea to add to your "Why didn’t I think of that?" file: ophthalmoscope and otoscope sets that are portable but don’t walk away.
At Mount San Rafael Hospital in Trinidad, CO, the portable, battery-powered sets physicians need to examine patients often disappeared or turned up with worn-out batteries. So Mike Kircher, RN, CCRN, MSW, MHSA, the hospital’s process improvement coach, and Ted Shinkle, director of engineering, came up with this simple solution:
"We took wall-mounted otoscope and ophthalmoscope sets and put them on a dolly similar to an IV pole," Kircher says. "This system makes the sets highly visible, portable, resistant to leaving the hospital, and invulnerable to worn-out batteries since the systems plug in the wall. We have yet to lose one of the units since we started using them several years ago."
Stop the endless searches
Nurses no longer waste time looking for the units, physicians find them readily available, and the hospital doesn’t have to continually replace them.
To read more about this idea and other everyday innovations, visit the Best Practice Network’s Web site at www.best4health.org.
The Best Practice Network, a new organization devoted to promoting information-sharing in health care by nurses, physicians, and other health care professionals, offers creative solutions to problems large and small.
For more information on The Best Practice Network, send an e-mail message to [email protected] or call (800) 899-2226.
Contact Mike Kircher at Mount San Rafael Hospital, 410 Benedicta Ave., Trinidad, CO 81082. Telephone: (719) 846-9213, ext. 195.
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