Evolution of Nurse-Led Hackathons, Incubators, and Accelerators from an Innovation Ecosystem Perspective

Abstract

Nurses are continually innovating to fill gaps or inefficiencies within healthcare. This was particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when a burst in nurse-led innovation in all areas of healthcare and across the lifespan necessitated an innovation ecosystem to realize nurses' full potential. New ways of thinking and leading the future of nursing have been echoed by the National Academy of Medicine’s Future of Nursing Report 2020-2030, the American Nurses Association (ANA) innovation task force, and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Nurse-led hackathons, incubators, and accelerators have emerged to meet the need for a more intentional and formal pathway for nurses to add value to health and healthcare within an innovation and design thinking framework. This article describes a brief historical background of hackathons, innovation incubators, and innovation accelerators and considers their evolution within the nursing profession, including implications for practice and education.

Development and psychometric properties evaluation of nurses’ innovative behaviours inventory in Iran: protocol for a sequential exploratory mixed-method study

“… 18 Recent studies have shed light on effective strategies to promote NIBs. Innovative approaches such as innovation incubators, 19 interdisciplinary collaboration, 20 investigating innovation challenges and dedicated time for creativity 21 have shown promising results in cultivating and sustaining nurses’ innovation.…”

Nurses’ confidence in starting a new venture, startup or project in the context of nurse-led hackathons: Results of prehackathon survey

“…The hackathon framework has been utilized in computer sciences since the late 1990s consequently adopted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Hacking Medicine in 2011, and by nurses in 2019 ( Kagan et al, 2021 ). Bye et al (2018) described the use of hackathon framework in Europe as a tool for education in the latest knowledge and technology with involvement of various stakeholders to develop holistic solutions to real-life problems in geosciences.…”

The nursing profession circa 2030

“…The forced and rapid evolution of healthcare and nursing has resulted in experimentation and innovation. 3 Providing efficient high-quality care is our collective pleted within 6 months in 2021 and 2022. 9 Decades ago, it was believed that Florence Nightingale engaged in self-imposed seclusion to protest and to protect herself from a "less than nurturing society" while managing moral injury from treating soldiers.…”

“…The navigation through this new world of care delivery warrants developing new maps to reach a new and acceptable normal. The forced and rapid evolution of healthcare and nursing has resulted in experimentation and innovation 3. Providing efficient high-quality care is our collective vision, but there is growing discourse on how these goals can be achieved in a complex and challenging environment with diverse needs and priorities 4.…”