INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS IMPROVING PATIENT CARE

About Ridgeline Medical Supply Inc.

Ridgeline Medical Supply Inc. (Ridgeline) provides innovative solutions to the healthcare sector. Ridgeline products are designed to improve patient and staff experience, support safer clinical care and contribute to more efficient and cost-effective clinical care.

The IVCaddyTM

(Patent Pending)

Ridgeline’s IVCaddy is an ergonomic attachment to the common IV pole, designed to safely organize medical devices in a single unit. Using the unit is a cost-effective way to support patient ambulation. Early ambulation improves clinical outcomes and reduces recovery times.

Understanding the problem

Interviews with physicians and nurses revealed that:

  • using a regular IV pole was identified as a frequent problem when the pole was combined with multiple devices
  • the problem centered on disorganized equipment and tubing which created efficiency and safety issues
  • professionals have a strong desire to improve the day-to-day experience of patients
  • IV poles can become top-heavy and pose a tipping hazard
  • lines and tubes are often poorly secured and easily become tangled and caught on objects and furniture.

Conclusions:

Patients may be connected to multiple pieces of medical equipment such as an oxygen tank, a Pleurovac pump, IV fluids and a catheter. This connected equipment becomes a challenge for nursing staff to organize when preparing a patient for ambulation. It is a clinical priority to assist the patient to ambulate early in their recovery. Ambulating patients can be hazardous to the patient and staff. Patients may be weak and feel anxious about moving around. Consequently, in busy nursing units, patients are not always ambulated as early and as often as they should be to promote recovery and minimize the risk of adverse outcomes.

There is a better way.

 
Click to Download PDF Information Sheet

The IVCaddy Solution

The IVCaddy was created to address the problems identified by nurses and physicians. The IVCaddy solves the problems by:

 

  • organizing medical equipment into one unit. This can include a Pleurovac pump,
    Foley catheter/bag, oxygen cylinder and other connected devices
  • attaching to the most commonly used IV poles
  • supporting improved patient mobilization
  • creating a more stable, safer IV pole
  • being quickly and easily cleaned

Benefits of Using the IVCaddy

Improved patient and staff experience

Patients report feeling more confident when moving around with the IVCaddy and experience less fear of tangled tubing and lines. They are less worried about tripping and falling or having needles pulled out. The IVCaddy also addresses the patient’s embarrassment by shielding the catheter bag from view.

Supporting safety

The IVCaddy improves IV pole stability thereby improving patient and staff safety. The centre of gravity is lowered by providing storage and organization of equipment at the base of an IV pole. Additionally, the associated IV lines and tubing can be neatly organized and kept off the floor. Falls in a hospital are among the most frequent adverse events according to the National Centre For Injury Prevention & Control.

Increased efficiency

Using the IVCaddy potentially decreases the number of staff required to support mobilizing patients. Nurses report that some patients require the assistance of two or more staff to ensure safe ambulation. By bringing various devices into one unit fewer staff are required.

Improved mobilization

The IVCaddy assists staff to ambulate patients earlier and more effectively. Considerable research demonstrates the resulting improved patient and health system outcomes of effective patient ambulation. The IVCaddy is a new device that can support the uptake and application of patient ambulation programs in hospitals.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports more than 700,000 patients fall in US hospitals each year. 30% are injured with 4-6% of the injuries considered serious.

Testimonials

Evaluation Study

Ridgeline commissioned an evaluation of the IVCaddy at the University of Calgary’s Ward of the 21st Century, a research and innovation initiative based in the University of Calgary in partnership with Alberta Health Services. Patients and health professionals reported feeling very positive about the device and its anticipated usefulness in facilitating patient ambulation. The IVCaddy’s, all-in-one patient attachment solution was praised, along with the encouragement it provides for patients to ambulate.

Physiotherapist Feedback

“One patient in a wheelchair…..she had a bunch of IV meds running, an oxygen tank and other equipment…..it took 4 of us a good 15 minutes to get her all set up enough that they could push her around.”

Nurse Feedback

“Loading and unloading it was easy because there are places to put everything. On a regular pole, I used tape to attach stuff and hang things from the handle. This is cool”

“I hate dealing with all the tangles, this helps organize that and decreases the clutter which is what we’re always striving for with safety”

“We got emailed about the study and there was a snapshot of it, and I was like, we  need those right away”

Patient Feedback

 “This is a lot more stable than that thing (other IV poles). I’m always worried about it going over or sliding away”

“I like that it is easy to push and did not feel heavy at all. I thought it was going to be awkward. It looks better too, looks sturdier, safer”

 “I love it. I love that you can put the Foley in there and everything else you need”

Information Sheet

Click to Download Information Sheet
For more information, please contact Ridgeline by e-mail or toll-free: 1.844.382.6161

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