Funded Projects

Natalie L. McEvoy, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

I am a PhD Scholar in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, under the supervision of Professor Zena Moore and Professor Declan Patton. I hold a BSc in General Nursing, a Postgraduate Diploma in Neuroscience Nursing as well as a MSc in Neuroscience Nursing. I have clinical experience in critical care nursing and in particular neuro critical care. My particular area of interest is the maintenance of skin integrity in the critically ill patient in intensive care. The aim of my PhD study is to establish the correlation between IL-1α and total protein (TP) and sub-epidermal moisture (SEM) measurement in the early detection of pressure ulcers in adult intensive care patients. The study involves the sampling of sebum using Sebutape, and measurement of SEM capacitance from at-risk skin sites in critically ill patients (sacrum, both heels and a control site) using the SEM Scanner^TM (Bruin Biometrics). SEM and Sebutape samples will be taken at the same time points, to assess any potential associations between the inflammatory measurement approaches.

Dr Peter Worsley at the Faculty of Health Sciences in the University of Southampton has extensive experience in using Sebutape as well as the processes involved in the analysis of sebum for the presence of cytokines. This Exchange Scholarship enabled by EPUAP, will allow me to further understand the processes involved in handling the tapes and extracting the sebum from the tapes as well as the processes involved is analysing the samples to extract the desired protein from the sebum.

The Exchange Scholarship will provide me with the skills and knowledge needed to complete my PhD project which will enhance the quality of care given to adult intensive care patients as well as reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers in this cohort of patients.