Nurses have likely had a moment in their career when they think to themselves, "Nobody asked a nurse how to design this!" Nurses functioning in any professional role can have an impact on patient care, workflow, and efficiency through care innovation, product development, and new inventions. Nurses are responsible for innovative devices such as the Bili-Bonnet, used to hold eye protection in place for infants undergoing treatment for jaundice, and Colorsafe, an intravenous line color-coding system.1 Unfortunately, few nurses have opportunities to create and contribute to patient care in this way. An absence of nursing presence on patents and in groups that are developing new technologies and products is a missed opportunity for improving patient care experiences and patient outcomes, and perhaps reducing health care costs.1 Introducing nursing students to the idea that nurses can and do function as inventors is essential to inspiring these future nurses to innovate. Bringing an innovation relay to the face-to-face or remote classroom is a fun and engaging way to do so.

Activity Inspiration

The author had opportunities to participate in innovation relays held during annual conferences of the National Association of School Nurses. During the inaugural conference event, participants curious about the innovation relay listed on the conference agenda gathered 1 evening to discover what this new and mysterious listing entailed. Session organizers guided participants through an exercise to question assumptions, view situations from different perspectives, and consider new uses for common objects. Organizers then shared a challenge: during the next day, groups of conference attendees would work together to develop a solution to how school nurses could focus their work to be more student-centered. All participants returned 24 hours later and shared innovative methods for school nurses to address the challenge presented, such as creation of a "School Nurse on Wheels" bicycle/trailer combination so school nurses could meet students anywhere they needed nursing care on the school grounds.2 The following year, participants were tasked with developing a method to increase the visibility and credibility of school nurses.3 During the most recent event, a new twist was added: participants selected random items that an event organizer purchased at a local thrift store to develop a device to address student mental health. Conference attendees enjoyed this event and felt empowered to return to their jobs and begin creating new approaches and solutions to clinical problems.

Activity Implementation

Participation in the conference innovation events inspired the author to create a similar class activity for prelicensure nursing students enrolled in a pediatric nursing course. This activity fit in to the instructor's use of a scrambled classroom in which student preparation, active learning exercises, and short lectures are combined.4 First, students were asked to read the relevant textbook chapter and complete instructor-developed workbook pages related to the reading before class. In addition, students were asked to bring 3 random household objects to class. Workbook categories prompted students to take notes on each disorder's (1) assessment findings, (2) diagnostic process, (3) pharmacological interventions, (4) nonpharmacological interventions, (5) patient/family teaching points, (6) nursing considerations, and (7) safety considerations.

On arrival to class, the instructor reviewed major points from a selection of the workbook topics. Then, students shared the 3 random household objects they packed for class. Examples of objects students brought included nail polish, coffee mug, sunglasses, ball, snow globe, television remote, pen, chap stick, and spatula. The instructor then provided a brief overview of nursing innovation and inventions of the past, and assigned small groups of 5 students each a gastrointestinal topic from the day's reading that had not yet been reviewed. Students were to work in their groups to invent a device or tool that a nurse could use to care for a patient with the assigned disorder. Groups reported back to the whole class 30 minutes later. On return to the main classroom, groups shared some basics about their disorder, indicated the name of their invention, and described how their invention could contribute to nursing care. Students were tasked with using at least 1 object from each group member to build the invention.

All student groups were successful in developing an invention for nursing care of the selected gastrointestinal disorder. One group invented the P.I.G. (pediatric intervention for gastroenteritis) kit, which used a gift bag, water bottle, chap stick, straw, and hand sanitizer that a nurse could provide to a child with gastroenteritis to promote rehydration and self-care. Another group developed Mr. Bear using a bear plush toy, stethoscope, cup, straw, and rock to facilitate patient education and medical play for children with functional constipation. To help nurses distract infants in pain while the nurse conducted an abdominal assessment of a child with pyloric stenosis, another group made the OliveMobile (a nod to the olive sign palpated in children with the disorder) out of a ruler, dental floss, paper clips, and the rest of their objects as mobile decorations.

Discussion

Of note, this activity was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic in a remote videoconference classroom environment. Because of this classroom method, student groups displayed illustrated mock-ups of their inventions. In the in-person classrooms, students would attempt to assemble a prototype of their invention from the household objects. Although initially a remote implementation seemed that it may not be successful, through discussing their inventions and how such a tool would help with nursing care, student groups conveyed the key concepts of each assigned disorder. The instructor provided short lectures between each group presentation to reinforce major ideas and share potentially missed concepts related to the disorder.

Conclusion

An innovation relay is one activity nursing instructors may use to facilitate group engagement, a scrambled classroom, and creativity among students. This activity is also flexible enough to apply to many nursing courses or specific units and can easily adapt to either the remote or in-person classroom setting. The innovation relay also introduces the idea to nursing students that nurses can be innovators and inventors.

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