Bed Bath Assessment?

You can tell a lot about your patient while giving a bed bath. Unless a patient can obviously not help at all with their bath, I just ask if they'd like me to help with any part of the bath they may have difficulty with (that way it makes it more like I'm helping them with THEIR bath versus they're helping me with the bath I'm giving...hopefully that makes sense LoL) Talk to them while they are bathing...doesn't have to be direct questions related to what your instructor is asking for but more conversational questions and such. You can gauge their state of mind and any confusion usually just in conversation. Also they are moving around a bit and talking, you should be able to observe if they have any exertional SOB. If you can get them to actively participate in the bath, you can get a really good assessment of their movement and any muscular deficits, but I always do push/pulls and such right along with the bath...you're already there and it takes just a moment. Giving a bath you can assess skin integrity...you're looking right at it! You can find out a LOT while bathing a patient...how'd they sleep that night? Is anything hurting/bothering them? How are they moving around? Do they have to stop and catch their breath? How are they doing with their motor movement while bathing and/or dressing? So, so much you can tell from a bath...it is the best assessment you can give without "giving an assessment" IMO.

Good luck!

Thanks guys. I have the test in the morning but she has already failed 7 people for not noting all the required check marks. Just wanted a general idea of what is supposed to be observed. Thank you both

So?? How did it go?? Hope you did great!

Sorry this is a late reply, its been crazy in school! But I passed!! Who would have thought a bed/bath would fail so many students (only like 1/10th passed first try). Our clinical instructor is the D.O.N. of a nursing home so she was a stickler on this one, she didn't care if you couldn't take a BP or pulse (its weird..), but for this one even some the smallest error set her off like tucking the draw sheet under the bed before mitering the sheets was an automatic fail (she likes it done after you miter corners). I understand the BIG oops though, like doing wrist 'snap' when putting a blanket on the patient (she would scream: Dead skin alert!! Its in your hair, eyes, nose, ewww, go home and shower NOW - haha) or turning a patient without the bed rail up *eek* (ooooh, she yelled at students for that one, you could hear her across the school: "They fell!! They have a concussion and now you're being sued!!"). Awesome way to remember though - bet they won't forget safety! lol Thanks guys

Yay for you!! Glad to hear you passed it :) The "dead skin alert" made me laugh...seriously skeeves me out when I see people flapping sheets and bedcovers

Congrats again!!