Public health nurses win Spark Ignite award for medtech device

Two public health nurses have been names as winners of the annual Spark Ignite award for an idea to help improve the diagnosis of urinary tract infections.

Public Health Mid-West’s assistant director of nursing Bernadette Higgins and Anne Murray, Clinical Nurse Manager 2 (CNM2) in Health Protection, developed a medtech device with an app that collects urine samples in babies, children, and adults with physical impairments. WeeCatch It is designed to improve diagnosis rates for urinary tract infections, and also provide a cleaner way to collect samples without contamination of samples. The latter can result in unnecessary antibiotics and unplanned hospital admissions.

“Being shortlisted and winning the Spark Ignite Award is an honour considering the exceptional standards of all the other entrants. Winning this prestigious award in such a high calibre competition has given the validation to believe in the innovation MedTech device ‘Wee Catch it’ and drive it forward,” said Ms Higgins. “We are an example of how passionate, creative nurses are in an ideal position to invent and develop ideas as we spend more time with patients. Nurses have a wealth of knowledge of how products work and can make patients’ and healthcare workers’ lives better. The ability for a nurse to innovate is defined by a desire to improve some of the most vital solutions in healthcare.”

The duo have won a total of €6,000 in seed funding from the regional and national Spark competitions - €3,000 each - to help develop the device further. It is currently in prototype phase.

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The Spark Ignite competition is a collaboration between the HSE, the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD), the National Health and Social Care Professions Office (HSCP), and National Doctors Training and Planning (NDTP). It attracted more than 150 applications from HSE staff throughout the country, with a two-stage review process whittling the list down to 36 finalists for a bespoke innovation workshop.

“Nurses have always been unintentional innovators. Improvising, moulding and tweaking what was available to us. They bring true meaning to the phrase ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ in their efforts to optimise the care they give. In recent years, healthcare recognises the enormous value of fostering creativity and innovation in health care workers. We are so incredibly honoured and humbled to have been chosen from such an incredible group of passionate SPARK finalises, all of whom had amazing innovations. Without the HSE’s Spark programme, our innovation would still be just an idea,” said Ms Murray.

“As a parent, I know the distress of trying to get a urine sample from a baby. As nurses, our patients are the centre of all we do. We want to be able to deliver the best patient experience we can in an effective, efficient, simple, comfortable, safe and cost effective way. ‘Wee Catch It’ does all this. The idea is that it will improve the process for the healthcare worker, provides education, promotes appropriate and timely treatment and reduces the risk of harm to the patient and the wider population.”

Dr Mai Mannix, area director of Public Health Mid-West, congratulated the duo, describing them as brilliant innovators and natural leaders, leading a totally new nursing speciality in Ireland. “Alongside their colleagues in the department, they have played a key role in saving many lives throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and I know they will continue to do so through dedication to protecting the Mid-West community.”