+1 (629)348-3199Application of an intelligent drinking system to prevent dehydration in old age
28th International Conference on Nursing Care
May 23-24, 2019 | Vienna, Austria
Elisabeth Haslinger-Baumann Katharina Gugenberger, Anneliese Lilgenau, Franz Werner, Andrea,Kerschbaumer, Gernot Korak, Sebastian Geyer and Udo Unterweger
University of Applied Sciences, Austria
Keynote : J Intensive Crit Care Nurs
Abstract:
For older people, reduced thirst is a major problem in
daily life (Bigorio, 2009; Hodgkinson et al, 2003; Bunn
et al, 2015). To prevent dehydration, a functional prototype
for an intelligent drinking system was developed within an
experimental research project "Drink Smart" (2016-2018),
which measures daily fluid consumption, visually displays it
on the cup itself and also transfers the data to electronic care
documentation. The aim of the evaluation study was to test
the drinking system for suitability in home nursing practice.
The individual measurements of system stability, acceptance
and effects were collected by means of individual interviews
with elderly people in need of care and group interviews with
nursing personnel of mobile home nursing. The evaluation
of usability took place by means of usage diaries and in final
interviews and group discussions. The suitability of the system
for practical use was also determined by the mobile nursing
staff. Furthermore, a heuristic evaluation was carried out by
an expert.
The intelligent drinking cup “Drink Smart” achieved technical
performance and stability suitable for practical use in a threeweek
test phase per person with 21 test participants (a total
of 441 days). In principle, the use of the system was described
as simple, but due to cognitive and physical limitations there
may be barriers to use. The drinking system was described as
motivating and meaningful and helped the elderly to drink
more. For caregivers, the drinking system is perceived as
an optimal aid when it comes to carrying out fluid balances
and recording the amount of fluid and drinking events. The
future use of the drinking system is aimed at by the elderly,
and by the caregivers, when it comes to supporting sufficient
hydration and calculating drinking quantities.
Biography:
Elisabeth Haslinger-Baumann is Professor and Research Coordinator for Nursing Research in the Department of Applied Nursing Science at University of Applied Sciences in Vienna. She is registered nurse and graduated in Philosophy and Political Sciencees at the University of Vienna. She is PhD in Nursing Science and graduated from the Health and Life Sciences University in Hall in Tyrol, Austria. She leads experimental research projects in the Research Fields Active and Assisting Living, Evidence based Practice Health Care and Nursing and Evaluation Research in Health Care and Nursing.
E-mail: elisabeth.haslinger-baumann@fh-campuswien.ac.at
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