CheckMate – 2014 Open Minds

Patients in hospitals frequently get infections from devices that are left on the patient for too long, for example, IVs not changed in a timely manner. Nurses try their best to follow best practices for controlling infections, but they are faced with the challenge of having to juggle competing demands under time pressure in an environment where they are asked to document their actions and respond to many different alerts throughout their shift. The CheckMate is an easy to-use disposable timer that takes the form of a sticker that nurses or other medical personnel attach directly to a device to monitor when it needs to be replaced. The hope is to make these simple visual cues standard, making it easier for care providers to follow best practices, so fewer patients suffer from infections contracted while they are in the hospital. Dock Technologies has recently been accepted into Stage 2 of the E-Team program for further development of Checkmate.