The grand prize winner of the 2015 Innovation DHB competition was Dr Aneesh Kumar, with his idea for a new style of laryngoscope to replace the current rigid metal devices. Used during laryngeal surgery (surgery of the larynx), the current device needs direct line of sight meaning that a patient’s neck often needs to be extended more than is comfortable and a lot of pressure can be put on the upper teeth and the tongue. Dr Kumar’s proposed new design would provide easier access to the throat during surgery, resulting in improvements for patient comfort, better patient outcomes, and less time in theatre.
If this all sounds too good to be true and couldn’t possibly result in a working device, last year’s winner, Mike Perry, updated everyone on the progress of his redesigned positive expiratory pressure device (PEP) which has now reached the prototype stage. Mike hopes to begin trialling the device with patients next year, and physiotherapists from across Australia and New Zealand have expressed their interest in the innovation.
Two highly commended awards were also handed out. The first went to paediatrician, Dr Nathalie de Vries for a smart-phone app to help parents with children in the Neonatal Unit, and the second to Occupational Health Physician Dr Moazzam Zaidi for an app that allows clinicians who are off work with dermatitis to be assessed remotely, saving them a visit to a hospital clinic and letting them get back to work faster.
The other winner of the night was Whitney Gresham who won an Apple Watch, sponsored by Orion Health, as part of the draw for those who entered the competition.
More and more Mid Central staff are starting to get on board with their innovative ideas, and if seeing these has sparked a great idea in your head there’s no need to wait for next year’s competition. Contact Jane Donaldson on with your great idea to take it to the next level.
Jane had the following to say about the competition. “This year was very tough, and we look forward to working with the entrants to take their ideas forward. Health is one of the biggest employment areas in Palmerston North and we really see the potential for a lot of innovation in this sector in the future.”
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