Episode #62. From Bedside to Big Impact: Nurses Driving Healthcare Change

Real progress in healthcare tech happens when nurses co-design the tools and the how is treated as seriously as the what.

In this episode, Dr. Susan D. Smith, Director of Technology Research and Education at ChristianaCare and a nursing technology researcher, discusses how she moved from pediatric critical care into practice-based research and helped launch collaborative robots in a complex hospital environment. She shares what worked, including simple usability and clear value for routine deliveries, and what surprised her team, such as low demand for a nurse-facing robot call option when staff needed items immediately. Dr. Smith breaks down why missing pieces like reliable timing, visibility into when help is arriving, and workflows that pair equipment with medications can derail adoption even when the tech functions as designed. She also explains how a robotics-focused nursing research fellowship improved engagement and well-being, plus her statewide work building research capacity through NIH programs and a research-matching platform that connects mentors and collaborators.

Tune in and learn how to move from big ideas to sustainable, nurse-led implementation!

Resources:

Connect with and follow Dr. Susan D. Smith on LinkedIn.

Follow ChristianCare on LinkedIn and explore their website!

Nurse-Led Innovation Hub and implementation blueprint

https://christianacare.org/us/en/for-health-professionals/nursing/nurse-led-innovation

Integrating Collaborative Robots into a Complex Hospital Setting: A Qualitative Descriptive Study - PMC