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As a result of research on moisture sensing, Professor Patricia Connolly developed and successfully clinically trialled a disposable, sterile, moisture sensor which enabled real-time measurement of the moisture level in a wound without disturbing the dressing. Ohmedics Ltd was spun out in 2009 to market the disposable sensor and associated hand-held meter. The system, known as WoundSense™, gained the CE mark in 2010. The device is available commercially and is in use in hospitals in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, is starting to penetrate international markets, and had first sales to the NHS in the UK in 2012. The system is being piloted for use with remote monitoring `telehealth' technology. The British military currently (July 2013) have the system in clinical trial for monitoring of complex trauma wounds. The creation of Ohmedics has given specialist employment to 6 people in the company and helps support another 4 skilled jobs at UK contract manufacturers.
A significant contribution has been made to: a) occupational health policy debates and widening public awareness about the connections between employment environments and disease, and b) compensation struggles and campaigns to improve health and safety in the contemporary workplace, as a result of oral history research on targeting the experience of asbestos and coal mining-related diseases. This has benefitted agencies, organisations and policy-makers involved in campaigning for disease victims and those individuals, families and communities who suffer from occupational diseases — including asbestos-related ones — within Scotland, the UK and globally. There has also been a wider public impact in terms of contributing to sustainable public and community heritage.
Chik Collins's research on the effects of neo-liberal policies on working class communities in contemporary Scotland has contributed to important changes and benefits beyond academia. It has supported community, third sector, professional and trade union organisations in developing appropriate strategies for action. Oxfam Scotland has used the research extensively in reconfiguring its UK Poverty Programme, and has instigated a Partnership with UWS to enhance this development. Public health professionals grappling with Scotland's lagging health outcomes have used the work in shifting their focus towards underlying causes and in reassessing prevailing public health interventions focused on `health behaviours'.
The University of Glasgow's Centre for Rehabilitation Engineering (CRE) has developed strategies and products that have influenced clinical practice in Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) worldwide. The CRE refined the concept of using Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) for cycling and abdominal stimulation and defined its benefits to patients by establishing the nature of the medical benefits of the technology.
Working with clinical partners in the Southern General Hospital and Hasomed GmbH, the CRE co-developed FES products that are now used routinely in clinical rehabilitation. Hasomed sell ~500 units p.a. across the world, for use at home, in fitness centres and in SCI clinics to maintain health and wellbeing, thereby reducing patient morbidity and increasing their life expectancy.
Neuro-feedback, utilising a Brain Computer Interface for the treatment of pain associated with SCI, has also been developed into a clinical reality and a limited clinical trial has now shown its efficacy.
The research of historians in the Centre for Gender History at the University of Glasgow (UoG) informs a range of public engagement activities with a diverse body of public and non-profit organisations, providing historically-based analysis to help to shape policy, practice and knowledge-gathering across these sectors, especially in Scotland. UoG researchers have worked closely with the Glasgow Women's Library supporting and delivering through workshops and other profile-raising activities across Scotland a ground-breaking `memorial mapping' project to mark commemorations of women who made a significant contribution to society. The `map' now contains references to over 300 women and has been covered extensively in the media and by tourism websites and our advice has informed participatory projects by agencies including the Girl Guides and Dumfries & Galloway Council.
To facilitate physical and emotional recovery after a stroke, knee replacement, and falls we created assistive rehabilitation technology that enabled patients to evaluate their own rehabilitation progress. This technology is delivered wherever the person is (e.g. home or community settings) so that the optimum care can be delivered. 6 doctors, 15 physiotherapists and 80 patients in the Greater Glasgow area confirmed the benefits for enhancing recovery of patients. Similar technology inspired the development of three children's physical activity games in collaboration with a commercial company Numiko, the games were used by the BBC on its CBeebies children's website.