Nurse Hackathons: Reshaping the Future of the Nursing Profession BY NICOLAS GENNARO Sciasci, MS
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urse/Innovator/ Disrupter Rebecca Love has said that nurses are the truest of innovators, which would certainly explain their innate ability to solve healthcare’s most critical challenges. From care delivery to workforce issues plaguing the profession, nurse hackathons are a dynamic way to source solutions by bringing together a diverse group of problem solvers and empowering them to improve health, healthcare, and the health workforce, regardless of geographical location. But how did they get started? It started with an idea back in early 2019, when a group of nurses from the Society of Nurse Scientists, Innovators, Entrepreneurs, and Leaders (SONSIEL) recognized a need for nurses to be recognized as
innovators and receive the support and motivation deserved to advance the profession and revolutionize the healthcare arena. As the leading nursing innovation and entrepreneurship organization, they set off to create, build, and scale nurse hackathons globally designed to showcase nurses’ importance and impact. Shortly after, SONSIEL joined forces with Johnson & Johnson to launch their November 2019 Nurse Hackathon set to change the future of human health in only fifty-six hours. Nurses, healthcare professionals, technologists, and other experts from a wide range of expertise joined forces to develop tangible solutions to address care delivery challenges. The level of energy, excitement, and collaboration generated during the weekend overwhelmingly contributed
to its success but was, unfortunately, short-lived. As history would tell us, the world came to a screeching halt as the Sars-Cov-2 novel coronavirus infiltrated every inch of our globe. Nurses, healthcare professionals, and frontline workers were thus working around the clock to help save the lives of thousands of patients infected with the virus. As a result, SONSIEL and Johnson & Johnson quickly partnered with Microsoft and dev up to establish the first NurseHack4Health: COVID19 Virtual Hackathon, presented during National Nurses Month in May 2020 and the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, amidst the intensity of the COVID-19 health crisis. Hundreds of nurses and experts from diverse backgrounds gathered virtually to find solutions to address the
multitude of challenges facing frontline workers during the pandemic. From digital telehealth tools to platforms that host recorded messages from a loved one for nurses to play for patients on-demand, the momentum continued to help bring these solutions to life through access to engineering tools, mentorship and coaching opportunities, and more. During the following months, a multitude of health challenges emerged as the pandemic intensified. The organizers, SONSIEL, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, and dev up set a date for a November 2020 and subsequently, a May 2021 NurseHack4Health, to find ways to leverage technology to improve access to reliable, trusted education and communication amid a pandemic to improve access to care. History was made during
