Hydrate for Health
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Hydrate for Health: A qualitative study exploring patient and staff attitudes toward drinking aids in secondary care
IRAS ID
164772
Contact name
Ian Litchfield
Contact email
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
UHB NHS Foundation Trust R&D Governance Office, Reference RRK5207
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Dependent upon the condition of the patient, hydration in secondary care is generally reliant on patients being responsible for the consumption of fluids. Drinking appears to be a straightforward response to a physiological need, yet it is in fact a complex behaviour determined by a variety of factors and their interactions. These factors include physical, psychological, and environmental influences played out in complex and varied social settings.
Maintaining hydration in the complex environment of a busy hospital ward is far from straightforward and a number of drinking aids have been designed to help increase the accessibility of fluids to patients. There are a number of such aids available and yet there is little research on the attitudes of patients and staff toward these devices and how they might be optimally employed to reduce hydration.
One such device is the Hydrant which has been introduced and audited at a number of hospitals across the UK. It is designed to provide fluids to those whose movement is limited, increasing independence and helping ensure they remain hydrated. Recently an audit on the uptake and use of the Hydrant has been carried out on three wards within UHBFT and feedback in the form of brief surveys was collected from patients and staff. Results were mixed and important differences emerged both between staff and patients and within patient groups.
This qualitative study will explore in greater depth patient and staff attitudes to the Hydrant in order to identify strengths and weaknesses of this product(and similar drinking aids), how they might be used most effectively and to understand potential barriers to their adoption.
Ultimately our findings will inform the optimal deployment of the Hydrant and add to the body of evidence on how assistive drinking devices can be best used to combat dehydration on hospital wards.
REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
14/WA/1271
Date of REC Opinion
24 Dec 2014
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion