Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in children. Up to 5% of all children under the age of two who attend an emergency department with a fever, have being diagnosed with an UTI caused by bacterial infection. However, collecting a urine sample from a poorly child is not easy, with a strong possibility that the sample will become contaminated. This can give false-positive readings, delayed identification of infection, increased stress to the child, their parent or carer, and delay the test result for the waiting nurses and clinicians.
Angela Davidson had a stressful personal experience when trying to collect a urine sample from her infant grandson who had a fever. The sample became contaminated and there was an anxious wait as the test was repeated and presented to a clinician for a suspected UTI. Angela found out that this happens frequently and vowed to tackle the problem.
Angela’s solution is her patented product, the Tinkleguard®, an improved urine collection pack. This urine collection product is made from a bespoke super-absorbent material, which has been sprayed with a hydrophobic coating. During manufacture, it is heat-molded to retain its ergonomic shape, which sits comfortably over just the genital area – away from the anal area. The product is attached to the child’s stomach using low viscosity silicone adhesive tabs to avoid skin trauma. In addition, a new syringe design, with an increased surface area to that found on existing devices, allows for a more efficient drawing up of urine from the absorbent pad. The resulting package enables simpler use as well as more reliable and accurate UTI results.
Angela joined the Regional Talent Engines programme in 2023. She says “It has given me meaningful connections with business support mentors. In addition, the funding is paying a manufacturer for their work on building the production line that enables me get the prototypes in my hand!”
Angela has the support of a local NHS Trust that has agreed to carry out trials on the Tinkleguard through its Innovation Pathway. When the proof of concept testing is complete, any necessary design tweaks will be made and the product will then be available to the healthcare market.
