YOGYAKARTA – Children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) or impaired function of the brain and nerves that control movement, pace of learning, hearing, vision and the ability to think, have been experiencing difficulty in using a spoon. Regular spoons are with straight handle, no curvature and nothing to hold the fingers. The spoon is difficult to use by people with CP whose fingers are stiff, there is limitation of movement and disability to hold and grip.
This inspires lecturer of Faculty of Medicine of UGM, Sri Hartini, S. Kep., Ns., Kes, and the team to develop a special spoon for people with CP.
"A pilot study conducted prior to the study showed a 30% of CP children cannot use a spoon or have difficulty in using a spoon," Hartini said in the Faculty of Medicine on Monday (27/8).
Hartini explained the spoon developed for people with CP is designed as such that the handle has a certain angle of curvature, equipped with a small bar to hold the fingers. The focus of this innovation is the angle of curvature of the spoon which resulted from the measurement of 51 children with CP, especially the distance between the fingers to the mouth of patients when moving a finger toward their mouth.
The distance ranged from 0-11 cm (average data of 51 children). The angle of the elbow bending is between 45 degrees to 90 degrees. Thus, the appropriate curvature between the handle and the head of a spoon is 135 degrees.
"The curvature is also designed with a small bar so that CP patients experiencing stiffness and disfunction in holding and gripping can hold the spoon," said the lady born in Boyolali, March 5, 1976.
According to Hartini, the length of the handle as well as the length and width of the head of the spoon are designed similarly as the common spoon. The material is also safe, cheap and easy to get because it is made of rosewood that is durable and lightweight, containing no chemicals.
"This spoon has already been given patent rights," she concluded.
The Map of Nursing Diagnoses Based on NANDA 2007-2008 and ISDA
Another lecturer of the Faculty, Intansari Nurjannah, S.Kp., M.NSc., has also successfully developed a map of the link between a nursing diagnose and others. Intansari also managed to publish a book, ISDA – Intan’s Screening Assessment Diagnoses, which is proposed to obtain a certificate of copyright.
Head of Nursing Science Program, Dr. Fitri Haryanti, S.Kp. M.Kes, explained the relations between the map with ISDA that will enable nurses to perform nursing diagnoses to patients individually and after coordinating with the doctor.
"This map will help nurses in nursing diagnosis and planning for the patient," Fitri said.
The map developed by Intansari was published in 2008 in the form of a poster, entitled The Map of Nursing Diagnoses Based on NANDA 2007-2008. This work won IPR Championship (Intellectual Property Rights) organized by Higher Education Directorate.
Meanwhile, ISDA is a tool/flow to help nurses assess patients in order to screen all "possible nursing diagnoses" and "the possibility of collaborative problem" that may be experienced by the patient. The book and map developed by Intansari drew much interest, especially from nurses.
"The ISDA book has been printed twice and it’s even sold out within 3 months. The book and the map have been distributed to Medan, Bengkulu, Jakarta, Bandung, Makassar, Surabaya, Bali and Mataram," Fitri said.
Currently, Intansari also plans to inform nurses around the world about the book and the map by publishing the ISDA research in international journals and conferences.