Bed Bath Assessment?

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Hey all,

I have to perform a bed bath and linen change tomorrow for clinical!! I have the motion and steps down path, however I don't really know how to address the "assessment" part of it. How do you ask a patient how well they can help with the bath without sounding prude? We're only in Week 3 of our first semester, so we were at least taught basics like how to assess for cultural issues and pain levels, but our outline also says to assess for SOB, musculoskeletal function, and cognitive ability. My clinical teacher never said if those were observed assessments or actual patient questions. It's very hard to get in touch with her as shes the only lab coordinator for all the medical students in our college. Any ideas for approaching those questions properly to the patient would be appreciated!

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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! :D

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

MSK function could be a simple as observing how well they can roll or move in bed. Cognitive would be asking them to do things and observing if they understand what you want them to do.

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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 ;)

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

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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 ;)

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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 :eek:

Congrats again!! :D

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