Baystate Collaboration

The Center’s ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration with Baystate Health (the largest health system in Western Mass, based in Springfield, MA) has resulted in the creation of an environment in which frontline nurses can develop and thrive as clinicians, researchers, experts in implementation science, and leaders in healthcare innovation. The program is led by a full-time, doctorly prepared nurse scientist (Dr. Cidàlia Vital, RN) in collaboration with an academic nurse scientist (Dr. Karen Giuliano, RN) and a professor in engineering (Dr. Frank Sup). Through this formal interdisciplinary collaboration with Baystate Health, the Center bridges the gap between the lab bench and bedside patient care.

Intravenous Smart pump research takes place at the bedside during actual clinical infusions; the study of flow rate accuracy during clinical use is a key example of how learnings from the lab bench can be further understood through clinical observation. Dr. Cidalia Vital and Dr. Karen Giuliano were invited as co-presenters at the 2023 American Nurses Association Research Symposium. Their presentation, entitled “Academic-Clinical Practice Partnerships: Engaging Clinical Nurses in Research and Healthcare Innovation,” highlighted the numerous benefits of the collaboration between Baystate Medical Center and the Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation.

Other projects include working with biomedical engineering students on a new approach to fall prevention and a chest tube holder developed by undergraduate students. The collaboration’s focus on the professional development of nurses and engineers will continue to result in the advancement of nursing and engineering research and (over time) is expected to lead to measurable improvements in patient care; the development of innovative new medical products, and improved job satisfaction for frontline nurses.