A new app designed to improve maternal child health outcomes and a project to utilize virtual reality as a tool for behavioral health therapy are among five initiatives that received a combined $50,468 in late 2021 through the Princeton Health Innovation Grants Program.
The program provides seed funding each year to initiate new projects or enhance existing programs. Staff members across Penn Medicine Princeton Health are encouraged to submit innovative, problem-solving initiatives to improve patient outcomes or safety or increase efficiency.
Funding decisions are made by a committee of Princeton Health board members, administrators, physicians and community volunteers. The five recent awardees described received grants ranging from $2,600 to $20,000.
Labor & Delivery
Project Title: Incision Decision
In an effort to reduce first-time caesarean rates, Maternal Child Health is developing an interdisciplinary app to help guide clinical decision-making, nursing intervention tracking, and communication tools. The app will integrate with smartphone platforms where Princeton Health physicians and clinical team members can communicate securely while referencing tools and resources within the app. This tool will help to improve maternal child health outcomes with a lowered caesarean rate, shorter length of stay, and improved patient experience.
Princeton House Behavioral Health – Allied Clinical Therapies
Project Title: Therapeutic Virtual Reality For Mindfulness, Anxiety and Trauma Recovery
More than 30 years of academic research suggests that redirecting attention plays a key role in managing serious conditions such as pain and anxiety. With this grant, Princeton House can introduce virtual reality as a new interventional tool to address anxiety, stress, and trauma. The immersive nature of virtual reality helps highly distractible patients retain focus and increases the effectiveness of intervention in a small-group setting.
Speech Therapy
Project Title: Evidence-Based Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST)
EMST strives to increase patients’ respiratory muscle strength – specifically muscles related to exhalation – thereby reducing the risk of aspiration pneumonia in those with reduced lung capacity. This new treatment will be especially beneficial for those who have been diagnosed with a stroke or
Parkinson’s Disease.
Princeton House Behavioral Health
Project Title: Wellness Wardrobe
This initiative will provide essential clothing, undergarments, footwear, and accessories for inpatients in need. Patients who feel better about themselves are more receptive to therapy. The program is intended to help patients focus on their mental, emotional and behavioral issues.
Department of Sustainability
Project Title: Touchless Filtered Water Station for Princeton Medical Center Restaurant
The water station will offer visitors to the Princeton Medical Center restaurant free fill-ups of their reusable water bottles, greatly reducing waste related to single-use plastic bottles.