Klingman, Castner, Titus co-author article on patent searches in health science research

By Sarah Goldthrite

The article, published in the April 2016 issue of Nursing Research, was co-authored  by UB School of Nursing alumna Karen Klingman (lead author), PhD '15, Jessica Castner, assistant professor, and Albert Titus, professor and chair of biomedical engineering in the Jacob's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Department of Biomedical Engineering.

The team's patent search of asthma peak flow meters identified both innovations for use in future research and identified directions for future device development. The article illustrates that a methodical review of worldwide patents should be utilized in reviews that aim to identify and assess healthcare technology innovations. Intellectual property analysis, which is not typically used in health science research, is important for health researchers engaged in medical device innovation, according to the article.

Contemporary healthcare nurses increasingly rely on innovative technology for assessment, treatment, and patient self-management. Funding opportunities as well are increasingly steering toward technology development and innovation. Health researchers, including nursing scientists, who are engaged in medical device innovation need to assess the state of the art of current technology. This requires an intellectual property analysis, or patent search, which is not covered by the types of literature reviews customarily used in health science research.

The purposes of this article are to illustrate a methodical review of worldwide patents and to show how those results can be used to identify possible products available for use.

Klingman, K. J., Castner, J., & Titus, A. H. (2016). A review of worldwide patents: Innovatiosn in Peak Flow Meters for Asthma. Nursing Research, 65(3), 238-248. doi:10.1097/NNR.0000000000000144