Company: Christiana Care Health System
Company Description: Christiana Care Health System, headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, is one of the country’s largest health care providers, ranking 22nd in the nation for hospital admissions. Christiana Care is a major teaching hospital with two campuses and more than 260 Medical-Dental residents and fellows.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Technical Innovation of the Year - At Organizations With 1,000 or More Employees
 Nomination Title: ChristianaCare's Mindsora
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the achievements of the nominated organization since January 1 2021, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Briefly describe the nominated organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 200 words used.
Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, ChristianaCare is one of the country’s most dynamic health care organizations, centered on improving health outcomes, making high-quality care more accessible, and lowering health care costs. ChristianaCare includes an extensive network of primary care and outpatient services, home health care, urgent care centers, three hospitals, a freestanding emergency department, a Level I trauma center, a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a comprehensive stroke center and regional centers of excellence in heart and vascular care, cancer care and women’s health. It also includes the pioneering Gene Editing Institute.
ChristianaCare is nationally recognized as a great place to work, rated by Forbes as the 2nd best health system for diversity and inclusion, and by IDG Computerworld as one of the nation’s Best Places to Work in IT. ChristianaCare is rated by Healthgrades as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals and continually ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, and other national quality ratings. ChristianaCare is a nonprofit teaching health system with more than 260 residents and fellows. With its groundbreaking Center for Virtual Health and a focus on population health and value-based care, ChristianaCare is shaping the future of health care.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Outline the organization's achievements since the beginning of 2021 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
Mindsora was conceived and built by a team of clinicians and technologists within the ChristianaCare health system, designed to help individuals with recall and recognition issues. The tool was also designed to alleviate the stress and burden often felt by a person caring for them.
Mindsora utilizes real-time facial recognition technology and provides the patient with a person’s information that is meaningful to the patient with recognition issues. The user can hold up the tablet and scan a face to learn who the person in front of them is and their relationship to them. For example, “That’s Bob, your son. He brings you coffee on his way home from work.”
Mindsora also aims to facilitate engagement between the patient and their caregivers through gamified activities such as:
- Personalized digital exercises designed to help “train” recognition, including matching a known person’s face or a familiar object or place with their name and relationship, a quiz with known people’s information relevant to the patient, and a concentration-style activity with known people’s images, name, and relationship using photos and information provided by the users
- A reminiscence activity that includes a profile image of each person and cherished memories and information that is important to the person with recognition issues
Because recognition issues can result in changes to behavior and relationship dynamics, it can be challenging for families to engage with their loved ones when neurocognitive impairment is present. Mindsora is designed to make those interactions easier in a fun and engaging way.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
This project demonstrates the importance of using technology to solve for seemingly unsolvable problems. We targeted a very challenging population – one that is, more likely than not, going to touch each of us in different ways throughout our lives. All too often, we read headlines about violence associated with dementia as a result of recognition failure. The goal of this technological innovation is to keep more people home, safely. With every one person positively impacted by Mindsora, we will have made a significant impact on the lives of many.
What makes this solution even more meaningful is that it was designed by front-line caregivers working with the neurocognitively impaired and their loved ones - seeing the need for a solution like this every day. The holistic approach of involving the person with recognition issues and their loved ones creates a more meaningful and impactful product that is designed to address caregiver burden and decrease their risks of health decline. As one user and spouse of a man with dementia stated: “It Mindsora has helped me to feel a part of his treatment plan instead of always relying on doctors to give me their assessments. Unless you are deeply involved in the care of someone with memory loss, it is difficult to feel you are making a difference. When all you see is decline, it kind of defeats your efforts, but here, I could see improvement in his recognizing our family and be a part of it his care.
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
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