A new online tool designed to standardise the description of bodily fluid colours could significantly enhance patient care, researchers have announced. Developed by a team at Edinburgh Napier University, the 'What Colour Is It?' tool offers a consistent colour palette for clinicians and patients.
The innovation is crucial for diagnosing, investigating, and prescribing treatments for a wide array of medical conditions. Resembling a paint colour chart, the free online resource provides either 13 or 15 clinically relevant shades for identifying the colour of sputum, urine, and faeces. Each colour has a unique 'hex code' that can be entered into a patient's notes, allowing other clinicians to find the exact colour referred to by the patient.
The researchers said by reducing subjectivity when describing colours, the tool can help make diagnosis faster and more accurate, improving patient outcomes. They also said a chart can reduce the embarrassment that makes it difficult for patients to discuss bodily fluids with clinicians.
Hazel McPhillips, an advanced nurse practitioner and lecturer at Napier, said: 'We rely on our patients describing a colour and us assuming we're thinking the same colour. This toolkit really standardises that. It takes the subjectivity out and makes sure everyone's working from the same colour.'
The team said the tool could help communicate accurately during remote appointments, such as over NHS24 or when dialling 111. It can also overcome communication barriers due to language, age, or medical conditions like aphasia. Stephen Yorkstone, a business improvement consultant, said: 'It's a dead simple website you can load on your phone. You can pull it out of your pocket, point at a colour.'
Launched four weeks ago, the tool is being used by about 225 people across the UK, US, Norway, Sweden, and Australia, in fields including nursing, physiotherapy, and dentistry. The team hopes it will become 'a normal part of our healthcare system'.
