Page 12 - 2022-23 UHN Nursing Annual Report
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12 | 2022/ 2023 | UHN NURSING ANNUAL REPORT
Nurse-led Tech Pictured L to R: Geri-Connect creators Tina Cheung,
Innovation Linda Liu and Marijana Zubrinic
Aims to Support
Delirium
Prevention
The Geri-Connect App, created by three UHN Advanced Geri-Connect was designed for use in a culturally diverse
Practice Nurses and partially funded through the Registered environment and contains a repository of language-
Nurses’ Foundation of Ontario (RNFOO), will serve as a specific programs (e.g., music, videos, games), as well
“one-stop shop†for assessing responsive behaviours of older as communication and re-orientation functions.
persons admitted to hospital.
Development will ultimately integrate video conferencing
Linda Liu, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Medical Psychiatry; Tina applications to enhance communication among patients,
Cheung, Nurse Practitioner, Endocrinology; and Marijana families and staff and enable nurses to build a person-
Zubrinic, Nurse Practitioner, Thoracic Surgery, were compelled centred care plan.
to take action during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
in the spring of 2020. “It will use a behavioural analysis framework to address
backgrounds, and responsive behaviours and provide
They observed that older patients admitted to Toronto General access to a centralized location for meaningful online
Hospital’s General Internal Medicine and Surgery units were programming,†says Marijana.
experiencing a decline in their cognitive and mental function in
the context of prolonged delirium and isolation. As they neared the final stages of prototype design, the
team applied for and received RNFOO Nurse Innovator
“Their distress was heightened by language barriers in an Award funds to measure impact. There is an anticipated
unfamiliar, sterile environment. Geriatric best practices pilot testing launch in the fall and winter of 2023.
highlight the need for culturally relevant and meaningful
connections to foster engagement,†says Linda. “We needed to “We are proud of our work,†says Tina. “We strongly believe
bring back familiarity to calm things down.†that Geri-Connect can help nurses and truly meet patient
needs during a vulnerable and distressing time in hospital.â€
With these insights and the aid of initial seed funding, they hired
an app developer to design the prototype Geri-Connect App,
usable on tablets and computers on the units to enable nurses
and clinicians to support delirium prevention and management.

