An optical device to measure urine flow and volume
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Developing a sensor which measures urine flow, volume and voiding patterns to diagnose pathologies of the urinary system
IRAS ID
314945
Contact name
John S. Young
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Teesside University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 29 days
Research summary
Many diseases produce changes in the way we store and pass urine, causing symptoms such as incontinence or waking during the night to pass urine. These symptoms affect 70% of adults aged over 40, and greatly impact patients, carers and the healthcare system. In order to provide diagnosis before symptoms become impactful and the bladder becomes only partially responsive / unresponsive to treatment, we are seeking to develop a device, fitted to the inside of a toilet, that will detect changes in the characteristics of how someone passes urine. The device will alert the user and / or clinician, enabling timely, effective treatment.
In the proposed study, we are seeking to understand the needs of patients and healthcare practitioners. We will establish focus groups, representing all stakeholders in the care chain for urinary disorders. Each group will consist of 3-10 individuals who will meet for a Focus Group session, led by an experienced researcher. We will methodically chart the difficulties, needs, potential solutions, and concerns of all participants, as well as collect their input on the prototype that we are developing. Their responses will be coded, grouped, and summarised, to create a set of guidelines aiding the future development of solutions for urinary disorders. Ultimately, we will recruit ~45 participants, comprising 3-10 participants per group and 3 groups for each of three categories: patients; healthcare practitioners; carers. These numbers are based on previous studies in which focus groups were conducted. As a first step, we will start with 3 focus groups with clinicians and formal caregivers in Israel who treat people with urinary disorders. The same study design will then be implemented in the UK, in order to understand potential cultural differences necessary to develop an innovation that addresses the needs of all stakeholders, across cultures.
REC name
London - West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/1027
Date of REC Opinion
22 Sep 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion