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RediStik® Simulation Trainer Products | Designed by Nurses and Surgeons

Award winning simulation trainers revolutionizing education through innovation

RediStik® Wearable Trainer pilot resulted in 100% recommended to colleagues for training.

Quality Improvement Outcomes Using RediStik® PIV Trainers at TCH:

  • Nurse Residency Program Improved IV insertion confidence from 15% to 96%
  • Global HOPE: Pediatric Hematology Clinic in Malawi Sub-Saharan Africa:
    • Only 19% of IVs were successful after three or fewer sticks. After training that number increased to an amazing 96%
    • Decreased extravasation rates from 42% to an impressive 5%

The RediStik® Wearable Task Trainer Project was developed and implemented with support from the Texas Children’s Innovative Solutions Council, business and innovation team, the Marketing and Legal departments, and hundreds of frontline innovators at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, as well as the Global HOPE Nursing team in Sub-Saharan Africa.  

The concept for the novel simulation trainers began with Michael Pickett, MSN, APRN, PNP-BC, RediStik® Project lead inventor, who has an interest in product development and learning innovative processes. Based on a needs assessment with frontline nurses in 2017, a need for more cost effective, realistic, and wearable simulation trainers was identified. Michael's goal was to make trainers he wished he had available as a new nurse over 20 years ago.

Michael Began the innovation process by collaborating with Texas Children’s Simulation Center, and nurses from the Kangaroo Crew®, nursing education team, emergency department, vascular access team, anesthesia and frontline intensive care staff.  This experienced focus group identify a significant education gap and helped develop and validate wearable, low-cost, realistic, and durable peripheral intravenous (PIV), Port, and CVC simulation task trainers that enable more versatile and realistic training options to solve the educational gap.

After more than 20 iterations and feedback from over 200 nurses the trainers were piloted in 14 clinical areas at TCH and at our Global HOPE clinics in Sub-Saharan Africa. Based on positive feedback (100% of staff surveyed recommended to their colleagues) the RediStik® Wearable PIV, Port and CVC Trainers were finalized and produced in collaboration with Sawbones – the leader in medical models for orthopedic and medical education.

Thanks to all our key contributors and clinical leadership that have supported the RediStik® Wearable Task Trainer project. Our partners have been instrumental in providing feedback on proof-of-concept development, supporting the new product pilots, and implementing the novel designs into daily use globally.

Technology and processes learned from the nurse driven RediStik® Wearable Trainer Project led to collaboration with Michael Pickett (Innovation/design lead), Dr. Mazziotti (Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, co-design and educational Lead) and Cole Burgman (ECMO Supervisor, co-design and educational lead) to create the RediStik® ECMO Cannulation Trainer. ECMO cannulation is a high-risk low frequency surgical procedure. It was identified by the simulation center, surgery and the ECMO teams, that developing a novel trainer providing all procedural surgical steps for ECMO cannulation would be valuable for all those involved in the procedure. After eight iterations over several years the RediStik® ECMO Cannulation Trainer is available globally via Sawbones.

Vessel and tissue technology learned creating the RediStik® ECMO Cannulation Trainer led to collaboration with Michael Pickett (Innovation/Design Lead), Dr. Buchanan (Chief Plastic Surgery, co-design, educational lead) and his Hand and Microvascular Surgery team to develop the RediStik® Microsurgery Trainer. After seven iterations the RediStik® Microsurgery Trainer is available globally via Sawbones.

Sincerely,

Michael Pickett, MSN, APRN, PNP-BC
RediStik® Project and Design Lead


Key contributors and Supportive Clinical Teams

M Pickett, MSN, APRN, PNP-BC1,13, T Bentley, RN, BSN2,13, P Lopez, RN, VA-BC3,13, N Pham, MSN, RN, CPEN, CPN4, N Villarreal, BSN, RN, CPEN, SANE-P4, J Milsten5, K Christopherson5, J James5J Lawrence, MSHP, RRT-NPS6, K Morales, BSN, RN, CCRN, CNP-T, CFC2, A Mitchell, BSN, RNC-NIC, VA-BC PCM3, S Dean, DNP, APRN, RNFA, WHNP-BC10,13, J Hearne, RN, BSN11,13 , C Roberts, RN, CCRN7,13, J Lambert, RN, CCRN7, R Bowen, RN, CCRN8,13, J DeJean, MSN9, B Levy, RN, BSN12,13, J Yborra, APRN, CPNP-AC1, B Barraza, APRN, CPNP-AC1, N Pruett, APRN, FNP-BC1, K Romane, APRN, CPNP-AC1, C Doughty, MD, MEd4,6, Marilyn Hockenberry, PhD, RN, FAAN14, Jaime Choate, MSN, RN15

1.Texas Children’s Cardiovascular Anesthesia; 2. Texas Children’s Kangaroo Crew; 3. Texas Children’s Vascular Access Team; 4. Texas Children’s Emergency Center; 5. Sawbones Design Engineer; 6. Texas Children’s Simulation Center; 7. Texas Children’s CVICU; 8. Texas Children’s PICU; 9. Texas Children’s Hematology; 10. Texas Children’s Women’s Health; 11. Texas Children’s Float Pool Educator; 12. Texas Children’s NICU; 13. Texas Children’s Innovative Solutions Council; 14. Global Hope Nursing; 15. Nursing Professional Development