Lauren Barber, a clinical specialist nurse and founder of medtech device company NeedleCalm, was awarded Australia’s most prestigious innovation award for nurses, the Health Minister’s Award for Nursing Trailblazers for her notable contributions to the medical field with her ground-breaking device.
Conferred by Hon. Mark Butler, Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Award for Nursing Trailblazers recognises innovators in nursing whose work transforms health and aged care systems by significantly improving health outcomes for the Australian community through evidenced-based processes.
NeedleCalm utilises a combination of science and psychology to “close the gate” between the needle injection site and pain receptors in the brain, which helps minimise the perception of pain and administer needle procedures with accuracy, safety and consistency. It also saves approximately 20 minutes of clinician time and is comparatively cost-effective to most current alternative needle phobia strategies.
The device is about the size of a business card and has three main components: an outer layer that helps contain the cold, an inner layer that contains small protrusions to help with pressure, and silicone tape to secure the device onto the skin.
The NSW Government provided NeedleCalm’s initial investment as part of an initiative to support female founders and due to having demonstrated proof of product performance. Currently, NeedleCalm is in use as a first-line treatment at a number of hospitals, IVF clinics, emergency departments, and general practice settings across Australia. It is also endorsed by the Australian Patient Association and backed by experts at the Sydney Phobia Clinic.
Barber commented on the recognition stating, “While working in the field, I realised there was a strong correlation between healthcare avoidance and needle-phobia, particularly where there was already existing trauma. There’s a gross lack of awareness and research about the problem itself, resulting in patients avoiding healthcare entirely.”
She added, “This can have detrimental effects on their health and wellbeing, while also posing safety risks to clinicians and medical practitioners. It can also lead to long wait times in emergency departments and bed blocks, and result in equipment misuse, while taking up an inordinate number of staff hours. The exact cost per hospital is difficult to calculate, but our estimates and research show that it could equate to approximately $20k per day in each hospital.”
“By providing patients with a comfortable experience during needle procedures, NeedleCalm™ aims to improve patient rapport with their clinicians and minimise the impact of healthcare avoidance. Receiving this recognition by the Department of Health and Aged Care will go a long way to not only improving awareness about the issue, but also in assisting nurses and other clinicians improve patient experience,” she concluded.
Prior to the awarded Barber received a number of local and international awards for her work on NeedleCalm, including the Fishburners Tech For Good 2022 Female Founder Award, and the 2021 Good Design Award.
