CUMH study wins award at HSE Bright Spark Awards

A PILOT study on measuring blood loss during childbirth developed by a team at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) was one of 12 projects recently recognised at the HSE Spark Innovation Summit for their contribution to promoting innovation in the health sector.

The study led by Dr Ahmed Lutfi at CUMH received the HSE Bright Spark Award for Best Industry Collaboration for the development of the Stryker Blood Quantification Technology (SBQT).

Through collaboration with Stryker Instruments Innovation Centre in Cork, the team in CUMH developed a tool to help health professionals quickly and accurately measure blood loss during birth.

The next phase of the project will involve using the SBQT to analyse birth fluids and create alerts for health professionals to quickly escalate care and initiate treatment for mothers if required.

It is believed that this technology has the potential to reduce the incidence of severe haemorrhaging during birth and reduce maternal blood transfusions.

During the summit, the HSE Spark Innovation Programme also outlined how the establishment of six new regional HSE design and innovation labs across the country could further improve patient and clinician experience, achieve better health outcomes, and reduce the cost of care.

Head of the HSE Spark Innovation Programme, Jared Gormly, said: “The work of the HSE Spark Innovation Programme since its establishment in 2017 demonstrates the potential for regional innovation labs to transform Ireland’s healthcare system.

“With healthcare challenges, the more tailored a solution can be to the local context, the better.

“We are proposing that each regional health design and innovation lab will have the ability to gather insights about the needs of the population in its area and can then develop solutions and generate new services that are accessible both in terms of proximity and through improved user experience.”