Making in the Midst of a Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges in patient care, prompting frontline clinicians globally to devise novel solutions. This article highlights the creativity of clinicians who adapted to meet the evolving standards of care. The researchers explored the scale of clinician awareness of the novel devices and protocols that were being made. A thematic analysis revealed rapid team coordination, supportive management, acknowledgment of practice-based medicine, and just-in-time fabrication as drivers behind the design, fabrication, and scaling of clinician-made solutions throughout the hospital. Results show that the presence of the Makerspace significantly contributed to the hospital’s nimble and proactive response to the pandemic, emphasizing the need for transformative approaches that embrace innovation, collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and recognition of clinician-led innovations to advance patient care.