• hydration care for older adults and preventing dehydration
• impact of COVID-19 in care homes;
• evidence-based practice teaching for healthcare students

I am an Associate Professor of Nursing Research. My core areas of research are hydration care for older people and impact of infectious diseases in care homes, using a range of different methods. I adopt collaborative and inclusive approaches, working alongside care home residents, staff and the wider multi-professional team in my research.

My teaching roles include teaching on pre-and post registration courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels across the Faculty of Medicine and Health, as well as post-graduate supervision for MSc and PhD students.

Prior to joining the UEA, I trained and worked as both a general nurse and midwife before joining the Norfolk Arthritis Register, a longitudinal observational study of inflammatory polyarthritis (IP) aiming to establish the cause, incidence and outcome of IP. My research nurse and managerial roles provided extensive research experience. 

I am a committee member of the British Society of Gerontology Care Homes' Research Special Interest Group: Care Homes Research :: British Society of Gerontology (britishgerontology.org)

• hydration care for older adults and preventing dehydration
• impact of COVID-19 in care homes;
• evidence-based practice teaching for healthcare students
• a range of research methods, including systematic reviews, qualitative and mixed methods research

Studies include:

The ‘DrinKit': an activities-based programme supporting care home residents’ to drink well. Translations available in Brazilian Portuguese and Italian. Further details: UEA Hydrate Group - Groups and Centres

Using the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) to evaluate the impacts of outbreak measures on care home residents. In collaboration with the University of Kent: Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) (uea.ac.uk)

UndersTanding the distinct challenges for Nurses in Care Homes: LeaRnIng from CoVid-19 to support resiliencE and mental wellbeing (THRIVE): THRIVE - Understanding The Distinct Challenges For Nurses In Care Homes Learning From COVID-19 To Support Resilience and Mental Wellbeing (uea.ac.uk).

The Dehydration Recognition in our Elders, DRIE, study (http://driestudy.appspot.com/) investigated the diagnostic accuracy of commonly used signs and symptoms of dehydration in older people.

Thinking about Drinking. a qualitative study exploring the views of residents, their families and carers regarding hydration care in care homes.

Scoping review of nutritional and hydration guidelines for care homes.

Selected Publications:

Birt L; Lane K; Corner J; Sanderson K; Bunn D. care-home nurses’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic: managing ethical conundrums at personal cost: a qualitative study. J Nurs Sch. 2023; 55:226–238. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12855.

Brainard J, Bunn D, Watts L, Killett A, O’Brien SJ, Lake IR, et al. English care home staff morale and preparedness during the COVID pandemic: A longitudinal analysis. Am J Infect Control. 2023;51(7):792–9. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2022.10.009

Bunn DK & Hooper L. Signs and symptoms of low-intake dehydration do not work in older care home residents - DRIE diagnostic accuracy study. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2019. Vol 20(8), pp963-970.

Bunn, DK, Jimoh, F, Howard Wilsher, S, Hooper, L. Increasing fluid intake and reducing dehydration risk in older people living in long-term care: a systematic review. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 2015. 16:101-5.

Chapman-Wright J, Parnell SA, Bunn D et al. Perspectives: Nurses in care homes as advisors in research: benefits for all? J Res Nurs. Vol 27(4), pp401-405. https://doi.org/10.1177/17449871221103839

Hooper L & Bunn DK. Detecting dehydration in older people: useful tests. Nursing Times. 2015. 111(32/33):12-16.

Hooper L, Bunn D, Jimoh FO, Fairweather-Tait SJ. Water-loss dehydration and ageing. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development. 2014;136-137:50-58. DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2013.11.009.

Parkinson et al. Low-intake dehydration prevalence in non-hospitalised older adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Nutrition 2023. Vol42(8), pp1510-1520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2023.06.010

• Research methods
• Hydration and nutritional care for older people