Rachell Dumas, MSN, RN, is a nurse informaticist, health tech founder, and health advocate whose path into nursing began with a single anatomy class and whose journey into innovation began with nearly losing her life. After a four-year struggle through nine pregnancy losses, she finally welcomed a baby boy. Six months later, she woke up unable to see. When she arrived at the emergency department with acute vision loss and stroke symptoms, she was sent home with an antacid. As a neuro ICU nurse, she knew something was catastrophically wrong. She went to a second ED, got the CT scan, and eventually received a diagnosis: idiopathic intracranial hypertension. It took two brain surgeries to treat it. And in the space between dismissal and diagnosis, HEARD was born.
Nurses are innovators. We are uniquely positioned to identify the gaps, and we’re able to say, this will fit better…. Because one thing we do is make sure the show continues to go on.
HEARD is a health technology platform that gives patients the language, tools, and confidence to advocate for themselves in real time: translating medical jargon, documenting incidents, facilitating better conversations with providers, and connecting users to second opinions and legal support when needed. Rachell makes the case that nurses aren’t just caregivers, they are uniquely positioned to see the gaps in healthcare and to build the solutions that close them.
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