Gillian finds new weigh to save lives
A Motherwell woman’s revolutionary new weighing scale which could have huge benefits for seriously ill patients has been officially launched.
Invented by former NHS Lanarkshire nurse Gillian Taylor, the patient transfer scale (PTS) is designed to weigh immobile patients faster and more easily than current techniques.
Gillian said: “While working as a nurse I found it frustrating when trying to get a weight for immobile patients.
“The only way to weigh an immobile patient was to use a hoist scale or a bed scale but both were time-consuming and cumbersome. I decided there must be an easier way to weigh these patients.
“Later, while working in practice development for stroke services, it became clear getting an accurate weight quickly can help save a life.
“By using the PTS when the patient is admitted to hospital there is a weight reading that can be used to accurately administer medication as soon as possible.
“This is particularly important if the patient’s condition is lifethreatening.”
Gillian had the idea of weighing a patient as they are transferred from a trolley to a bed, a process that requires the use of a transfer board.
With help f rom NHS Lanarkshire, Scottish Health Innovations Limited and scale manufacturer Marsden, Gillian was able to develop the product and bring it to market.
Raymond Hamill of NHS Lanarkshire said: “This is the first time we have worked through this process and we are grateful for the support we received from the Chief Scientist Office Scotland, Scottish Health Innovations Limited and Marsden.
“We believe that the patient transfer scale will have huge benefits for patient outcomes.
“Hopefully this will inspire other NHS staff to identify opportunities and make them aware that support is available to make them a reality.”
The PTS has been tested in 30 hospitals around the UK, which provided guidance for the final design.
Hospitals and healthcare providers from around the globe, including Australia, Germany, the United States of America and New Zealand, are already showing an interest in it.
Graham Watson at Scottish Health Innovations Limited said: “The PTS is an exemplar of front-line health professionals identifying new, more efficient ways to improve patient care.
“By accelerating the speed at which time-critical medications can be administered it offers significant benefit in the treatment of stroke, sepsis, pain management and other conditions whereby a standing weight measurement cannot be achieved.
“We are very proud to have help take this from an idea to an actual product.”