The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives named Simon Lin, chief research information officer at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, winner of its Innovator of the Year Award.
CHIME's Innovator of the Year Award recognizes a "CHIME member whose creative application of IT and innovative solutions brings value to his or her organization."
Mr. Lin oversaw a collaboration between the pediatric burn unit at Nationwide Children's and the Center for Pediatric Trauma Research that piloted a virtual reality app for children to use while their dressings are being removed or replaced. The app requires the user to wear a headset, and it engages them in a game that they can either passively watch or participate in using breathing controls.
Mr. Lin and his team are now testing the app in a larger study.
"Simon's virtual reality app is a perfect example of patient-centered care," said CHIME Board Chair Cletis Earle. "They developed a tool that children will respond to — a game — and worked with clinicians to make sure it fits within their work flow. The result is a better experience for the patient with no added burden for clinicians. This is a win for everybody."