Milwaukee VA nurse's innovative 'ClipIt' device earns provisional patent

Registered Nurse Jean Borck, a simulation specialist, created ClipIt as a way for patients to avoid sticks from safety pins when dealing with drains after surgery. Borck has spent the last four years turning her dream into reality, and she continues to work to get her product to the masses.

“It’s been a long journey, but it takes a village, and I have a great village here,” she said. “So we keep pushing it forward.”

Started two years ago

Since jumping into the VA’s innovation program more than two years ago, Borck has run into numerous roadblocks, but has also made great progress with ClipIt. 

Originally she envisioned ClipIt as a medical device, but couldn’t get clearance to test it with patients. But as the prototype continued to evolve, the device was reclassified as a medical accessory.

“And that’s when things started happening,” Borck said.

Replication was approved, and ClipIt was one of the products VA featured at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. 

She received the provisional patent in October — overcoming a “huge hurdle,” she said — and she was one of 14 VA innovators from across the country chosen to pitch their innovations during VA’s “Shark Tank” event earlier this year.

“That really has expanded the usage of the ClipIt device,” Borck said. “The feedback I’ve received has been outstanding. I got a lot of other VAs reaching out regarding the ClipIt. It brought a lot of exposure to the device.”

ClipIt's evolution

And ClipIt has evolved over the past two years: The device has been through 17 iterations since Borck began working with the Milwaukee VA’s 3-D printing lab to manufacture it, said Dr. Katie Schultz, who oversees the lab.

It now does more than hold surgical drains; it has become a multi-purpose device. It can be clipped to clothing to hold just about anything a patient might need, from drains to Foley bags and IV tubes. It’s able to hold up to 2,000 milliliters of fluids. And it is safe for use with MRIs, CTs and radiology.

Another benefit of ClipIt is privacy and dignity, Borck said, as patients can use it under their clothing to hide their medical needs.

“It can go on clothing in any position, and it was tested with physical therapy and occupational therapy to really help anyone who has dexterity issues, because it can be really hard to open and close a safety pin,” she said.

Trial underway

A six-month trial is underway at the Milwaukee VA, and Borck said many units are “loving the device.”

“They’re going through the ClipIt devices very quickly, which is great,” she said. “They’re using it for other things than just drains, and it’s been working out.”

The trials are important because they generate feedback via surveys and the all-important data that is required to show any product’s worth.

“It is completely about the data,” she said, adding that she wants any and all feedback she can get, from clinicians to Veterans. “That feedback is going to help me improve the product, if I need to.”

So far, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, Borck said.

“Everybody has been saying, ‘This is great. Why didn’t we have this before?’” she said. “The Veterans are finding it easy to use.”

Right now, the Milwaukee VA’s 3-D printing lab is manufacturing ClipIts, which are being sent all over the country. As of mid-June, 627 ClipIts had been sent to 12 VAs, Schultz said.

Eye-opening journey

Borck said her innovation journey has been frustrating at times, but also eye-opening.

“I had to prove that using ClipIt would improve the quality of life … and demonstrate what was out on the market and how this would be an improvement,” she said, noting that when it comes to innovation, “the burden of proof is on you. It’s your innovation. You have to prove its worth.”

The journey is far from over. The next goal is to secure a vendor, something Borck hopes will happen by 2027.

“Sometimes it feels like baby steps or a turtle, but the turtle wins the race, right? I think we’ve made pretty good progress. 

“It takes a lot of tenacity,” she said, adding that Milwaukee VA Medical Center Executive Director Jim McLain nicknamed her “Tenacious Jean.”

“I wear that with a badge of honor,” she said.