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Clinicians

Clinician involvement

Engineering Innovation in Health (EIH) promotes interdisciplinary collaborations between engineers and a wide range of clinicians with the goal of developing technical solutions to pressing challenges in health care.

We invite any health care professional to submit an unmet health challenge. Previous EIH projects have involved more than 100 clinicians, with diverse training and specialties, including medical doctors, surgeons, nurses, physical therapists, dentists, pharmacists, and pathologists.

Involvement

Submitting your unmet need

The EIH process starts with submitting an unmet health challenge and ultimately ends with a working prototype solution, which can take the form of a device, process, or application.

It takes only a few minutes to submit your initial unmet challenge via the Clinical Project Application. The applications asks you to describe the unmet health challenge, how the challenge is currently addressed, and your vision for how the project might move forward.

Selection process

In late summer (August/September), EIH invites a select group of submissions to give a reverse pitch, describing their unmet needs to our selection committee. The projects that the committee selects move forward in the first phase (October-December) that focuses on deep and holistic understanding of the unmet health challenge.

We often receive more than 50 submissions each year. Typically 10 to 15 projects are invited to participate in the autumn quarter class, and 6 to 8 projects move forward during winter and spring quarters for full development.

Time commitment

The submitting clinician (or team of clinicians) will form a team with engineering students and faculty. Autumn quarter requires roughly 1 to 3 hours per week of clinician time plus attendance at the Fall Showcase in December. If your project is selected for full development during winter and spring quarters (January–June) the time commitment will increase marginally.

There are no direct costs to the participating clinicians; however, we always welcome direct support to the program from individuals, departments, and industry.

 

Submit a health challenge

 

Benefits

Prototype solution and intellectual property

If your project is selected for full development, you will receive the solution to your health challenge in the form of a working prototype (device, process, app) in June. You and your team will submit the invention to CoMotion for further consideration for a U.S. patent application. A large percentage of EIH projects have pursued patent applications.

Preliminary data and comprehensive report

You will receive a comprehensive report that covers the background of the unmet need, the existing approaches and technologies that address the challenge, the regulatory pathway, preliminary market opportunity, and background intellectual property, as well as several solution designs and their preliminary data.

Future opportunities

The solution and report provides an abundance of opportunities to move the project forward:

  • Submit a patent for the innovation.
  • Use the report information and preliminary data gathered for subsequent publications and grant applications.
  • Evaluate the innovative solution in the clinic (with appropriate IRB and FDA considerations).
  • Begin the process of spinning out a start-up company.

Sample projects

For a full list of previous projects, visit the Projects section.

EZXS »

Already vulnerable patients with implanted ports receiving long-term treatment are at risk for bloodstream infections due to the introduction of bacteria during needle access procedures, as current infusion sets are not inherently antimicrobial, requiring extra handling of needles and dressings. If they acquire an infection, they are at a 12-15% increased mortality rate, and hospitals are shouldered with unreimbursed $55,000 for treatment for each case, EZXS (pronounced “easy access”) will streamline aseptic needle insertion to reduce the risk of bloodstream infection, inadvertent needle sticks, and subsequent treatment costs. EZXS combines needles and dressings to create an all-in-one device that will ensure stable, accurate needle insertion. As a universal applicator for already widely used needles and antimicrobial dressings, EZXS will simplify implanted port access procedures for nurses, while reducing the risk of infection for patients. 

 

EZXS

Septic Shock Diagnostic »

Septic shock is a significant cause of mortality in low and middle income countries. Capillary refill time (CRT) is the time required for natural color to return to the skin after pressure is applied to induce blanching (whitening). CRT measures perfusion, the body's ability to supply blood to vital organs. CRT has been shown to correlate well with early indicators of septic shock. This device uses the camera and processing power of a mobile phone to easily and accurately measure CRT.

Capillary Refill Diagnostic

MistEase »

Elderly patients with glaucoma may have problems dispensing eye drop medications due to physical limitations. MistEase is an eye drop assistant device that makes it easier to apply eye drops. The slender, ergonomic design of MistEase fits comfortably against the average person’s facial contours so the medication can be properly aligned to the eye, and the trigger design allows patients to effortlessly actuate the spray with reduced input force.

Applying eye drops