Challenges experienced by pediatric nurses in the process of developing innovative products: a qualitative study

Abstract

Objective: As essential healthcare providers, nurses are key to contributing innovations to improve the quality of care. This study aimed to explore the challenges pediatric nurses face in developing and patenting innovative products. Method: A qualitative descriptive design has been used in this study. The study sample consists of pediatric nurses who had developed innovative products and successfully obtained product registrations. Purposive sampling was used to select 17 pediatric nurses who met the inclusion criteria. Data were collected through semi-structured, individual, in-depth interviews. Results: Two main themes and two related subthemes were identified. The first main theme is ‘product development and management challenges.’ The subthemes of this theme are ‘unknown ecosystem’ and ‘burnout.’ The second theme is ‘protecting ideas and innovation.’ The subthemes of this theme are ‘fear of idea theft’ and ‘dead patents.’ Conclusion: Nurses face challenges, such as taking part in an unfamiliar innovation ecosystem, burnout due to long processes, and fear of idea theft. At the same time, commercialization of these innovations and market demand emerge as additional challenges. Practice implications: Identifying the challenges experienced by pediatric nurses during the innovation process can help to develop strategies to overcome difficulties, create an innovation culture, and increase the quality of pediatric patient care.