Bath Bags

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I work in an intermediate care unit and I am trying to gather information on baths bags. We have showers, but they are very seldom used as our pts are monitored and we need an MD order to take them off for showers. We use a wash bucket, soap and skin moisterizer for most of our patients. Approximatley 10% of pts are total care pts, 60% are assists, and 30% are independant. If anyone has any comments, negative or positive on using bath bags especially on the type unit I work on I would appreciate it. I would also appreciate any research data or help in finding some to help me present this to my clinical manager.

Specializes in MSICU starting PICU.

I work in the ICU and we use the Comfort Baths also, especially on our elderly population as they do not dry out the skin as much and they work nicely on sore bottoms or frail skin.

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Specializes in TELE/Step Down/Critical Care.

Thanks for the feed back....please keep it coming. Your responses are really helping me evaluate how I can present this to management.

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Specializes in M/S/Ortho/Bari/ED.

Hey Daytonite....those are some quite nice looking flow sheets you have there..;)

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Specializes in orthopaedics.

the problem i have found with the bath in a bag is that they don't do as well as a good soap and washcloth scrub. after using them on some patients for a day or so their skin gets kind of filmy and i have had some complain of itching. i myself had to use them while in the hospital and found the same. the shower caps are nice, but if you have a pt that has a lot of build up in their scalp from not washing thier hair in a while it just makes a bigger mess. you end up with a pt that smells like a wet dog.:uhoh21:

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They're ok. They're great if you're busy. At least they got some kind of a bath. If I have time I still use soap and water. But, if I use the bath pack on Sat (i'm weo) on a pt, then on Sun they get a soap and water bath or vice versa. I just feel like they don't get the patient really clean. I've also noticed that they leave a sticky film on the patient. Also, in my experience if a pt has really bad body odor these wipes won't cut down on that. They will need soap and water.

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I do love the shower caps. Younger pts have even used them and loved them. I used one when I was in the hospital for a week. I have naturally curly long hair and it turned out just like I had used shampoo and conditioner. All you have to do is heat them and throw them on. Very nice smell too.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
Hey Daytonite....those are some quite nice looking flow sheets you have there..;)
Thanks! Feel free to download, use them or pass them on to a student who could use them. That's why they are there!
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Specializes in Trauma acute surgery, surgical ICU, PACU.

They don't get people as "clean" as a good real wash and rinse does. They are good in the short term.

We trialled them in our unit and did not continue using them because they were getting wasted. Disposable cloth, easily thrown out. People were using them inefficiently. The cost adds up. So we now have the smaller packages, and we are told to use them to give final wipe after cleaning with old-fashioned washcloths and soap, and to try keeping them to peri-care only.

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Between using Comfort Bath cloths and a good old fashioned washcloth, I would rather use a washcloth on myself. If it's just for a quick cleanup the Comfort Baths are great. The Comfort Showers are, in my opinion, a total joke.....I used one once and my hair was stringy and oily and horrible-feeling.

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