Monmouth Medical Center Nurse Invents IsoPouch,
Wins Johnson & Johnson Grant
32 MAY 2021 | TheJournalNJ.com
BY LAUREN LAVELLE
When Monmouth Medical Center
pediatric nurse Kathleen Malouf received
the news she would be temporarily
moved to the hospital’s intensive
battles against COVID-19, she wasn’t sure
what to think.
“It's a completely different world out
there,” she said. “I love pediatrics; it's my
life, and now, I was dealing with critically ill
adults. It was a big shock.”
Malouf, a Middletown resident, was
trained and transferred to the ICU where she
worked as a nurse extender alongside seasoned
ICU nurses. While getting acclimated
with her new surroundings and procedures,
difference between the way pediatric and
ICU nurses function.
“As a nurse, I’m always using my pockets,
and I was not able to do that with the isolation
gowns worn in the ICU,” Malouf said.
“In the isolation rooms, we were not allowed
to bring in any extra supplies because they’re
only good for one patient, so we were challenged
with having to carry everything we
needed into the room at one time.”
The supplies could be anything from
bedding material, to feeding supplies, to
medication and to wound care, all being juggled by nurses at one time.
“I knew there had to be a solution,” she said.
Enter the Johnson & Johnson Nurses Innovate QuickFire Challenge,
a contest dedicated to fostering nurse-led innovation by allowing nurses
to submit their ideas and inventions for a chance to win grant funding
and mentorship from Johnson & Johnson.
When Malouf heard about the
contest, she knew it was the boost
she needed to put an end to her
problem.
“I knew not having the pockets
was a big challenge, but I wasn’t
in the mindspace at the time to
actually think of a solution,” Malouf
said. “When I heard about the
I thought of.”
Malouf got to work and created
a prototype for a clear, plastic
pouch that attaches to the isolation
gown and can be thrown
out after use. She named the product the Iso-
Pouch, short for isolation pouch.
“The beauty of it is, it's meant to be
thrown out, so you use it and then you just
throw it out with your isolation gown,” she
said. “It's a clear plastic so you can see what’s
inside which is helpful because you’re wearing
your gloves so you’re not as dexterous as
you would normally be. Also, if you have on
your face shield, it's hard to see, so I made
something clear so you can get your hands on
exactly what you need at the time.”
The application process – which involved
creating the prototype, submitting a
video and headshot, and detailing exactly how
the grant money would be used if she
were to win – was tough for Malouf who described
the process as “a blur” because she
thought her chances of winning the contest
were slim.
Malouf was surprised to discover though
that weeks later, out of more than 230 applicants
from 35 different countries, she won
the challenge and took home an undisclosed
amount of grant money, mentorship, and virtual
residency at the Johnson & Johnson labs
in New York City.
“I was completely surprised,” Malouf
said. “I struggled just to submit my application,
never dreaming I’d actually be an awardee at the end of it.”
the next steps for the IsoPouch. When asked what she sees in the future
for the product, Malouf predicted success in not only hospitals, but other
industries as well.
“Aerospace, the tech industry, dietary, there’s a lot of places that utilize
the isolation gowns as well,” she said. “This is a solution that we need
now, so hopefully I can get it going.”
Malouf’s coworkers at Monmouth Medical are also eager to use the
IsoPouch. Ashlee Poskonka, a fellow pediatric nurse, voiced her appreciation
for Malouf and her excitement for the future of the invention.
“I am proud to work alongside Malouf,” Poskonka said. “I think
the IsoPouch is going to be extremely helpful when caring for not only
COVID-19 patients, but all isolation patients.”
All in all, Malouf hopes her win serves as inspiration for nurses
everywhere.
“I feel like this is a win for the staff nurses in general because a lot of
the competitions are these high level, PhD-holding workers,” she said. “I
hope to inspire. You can do things and make a difference for the patients
and your coworkers.”
/TheJournalNJ.com