A community nurse has developed a ground-breaking new tool that is set to transform the way health services work to prevent dehydration among patients.
Naomi Campbell, who works for Peninsula Community Health in Cornwall, has had a personal interest in dehydration since caring for her terminally-ill mother. She had a ‘light-bulb moment’ when she saw her daughter lying in bed and drinking hands free from a child’s toy. This inspired Naomi to look into the consequences of dehydration and how it can be solved.
With very little changing in the past 50 years in terms of the way hydration is addressed in hospitals, very frail patients often rely on nurses to assist them to sip liquids.
Campbell recognised the need for a devise that allowed patients to independently sip fluids with minimal effort. With this in mind she created the Micro Straw, which supports optimal hydration with patient dignity and independence.
Using the device, patients can safely drink lying on their side or in a semi-recumbent position and they can sip fluids little and often without being disturbed. It can be fitted into existing drink aids or standard cups and an optional holder provides a protective cover for the mouth end and a stand for the straw.
We know that it is unfortunately not possible to stop people from becoming dehydrated, but nurses can be refreshed on the matter
After presenting her idea, the ‘Hydration Project’ and the need for a new drinking aid that offered a clear patient benefit to NHS Innovations Southwest, she was presented with £15,000 to develop and patent the idea.
From her research, Campbell has been able to develop a cup that measures the fluids consumed and which a straw can be placed into. This makes it simple for carers and nurses to document consumption and to prevent dehydration in patients.
The research has also enabled the development of a risk assessment for dehydration in patients in the simple form of red, amber and green placemats. These placemats clearly indicate whether the patient can eat and drink independently and the level of help they will need with both.
With no tool in the UK to assess how patients eat and drink and the level of care they can expect while staying in hospital, this assessment tool has attracted national interest from the patient safety lead for NHS England. The tool is currently being trialled in Falmouth Hospital.
We are championing to educate patients and their families to prevent against admissions to hospital from patient homes and care homes
Campbell said of the Hydration Project: “It’s all about re-educating staff. I have been visiting universities to speak to student nurses and also speaking to nurses who may have been posted for several years. We know that it is unfortunately not possible to stop people from becoming dehydrated, but nurses can be refreshed on the matter. We are also championing to educate patients and their families to prevent against admissions to hospital from patient homes and care homes.”
Campbell has since left her post at Falmouth Hospital’s minor injuries unit and has been awarded the post of hydration lead for Peninsula Community Health to continue her dedicated research. She is now looking for a commercial partner to make it possible to develop the next prototype.