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BOB HIRSHON (Host):
Nurses engineering solutions. I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.
A key to being a great inventor is understanding your audience and their needs. That’s why U. Mass nurse, —professor and inventor Rachel Walker thinks that nurses can play an important role in designing new medical products and therapies.
RACHEL WALKER (U. Mass, Amherst):
We like to look at what does health mean for a person, and we always start with the person, the family and the community we’re inventing for.
HIRSHON:
She says a nurse’s perspective can yield lifesaving ideas. For example, when nurses in Puerto Rico reported a shortage of critical IV fluids after Hurricane Maria, nurses on the mainland set about designing a portable IV fluid maker for emergency situations. Walker was recently named a AAAS Lemelson Invention Ambassador, and will work to encourage nurses to invent and innovate to better meet the needs of patients. I’m Bob Hirshon for AAAS, the science society.
Story by Bob Hirshon