Bedpan? Why not a Poise pad?

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I work on a med/surge unit and all day long, men can lay in perfect comfort to urinate in a convenient urinal. But WOMEN with horrible injuries have to be rolled to the side in extreme pain then have to sit on a bedpan and basically pee all over themselves anyway. We even put paper chucks on TOP of the bed pans because the bedpan just sticks to their skin and we cant get it out especially with heavy women. For a women to pee, we easily will use 2 full chucks and if a drop of urine makes it way on to the sheets, we have to do a bed change too.

Please tell me why we just dont hand them a Poise pad or even a toddler's pampers diaper to urinate easily, cleanly and comfortably? I have used both in emergency situations and they work AMAZING!!! Why O why are we still using bedpans for women?!?!?!

The OP was specifically referring to hospitalized immobile continent females who have multiple fractures.

I think this relates to any continent female who cannot get out of the bed for whatever reason.

I had to use a bedpan while in labor and it was awful. And far from easy with my hugely gravid belly.

The thing about using some kind of pad/ brief against the perineum is that the woman wouldn't even really have to be on her back but could lay on her side as well (which would have been wonderful when I was in labor).

I understand from the responses that not everyone agrees as to which option is more dignified, but I think the key point here is that is would be great just to have different options and choices for continent women who cannot get out of bed.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.
I understand from the responses that not everyone agrees as to which option is more dignified, but I think the key point here is that is would be great just to have different options and choices for continent women who cannot get out of bed.

I think that's an element that's been sorely neglected in this discussion. Involving the patient in the decision. Giving her the options and allowing her input on what she feels is more dignified. The scenario in question would always involve a cognizant person who could void voluntarily.

The question is could we come up with and test some methods that would be options available to the patient. The "poise pad" could be offered as one option to the "climb up in this bedpan" option.

Let the patient have some input guided by our expertise in the area.

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.

In pediatrics we use a similar device for clean catch urine specimens on babies and tots. They never work, always leak. I have a hard time imagining that this is any more effective.

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I like the poise pad/baby brief idea. I even like the female urinal if it's cheap enough- which I doubt since I've not seen them in the 6 hospitals I've either done clincals or worked at at a CNA or RN. The sticky part of the female urinary pouches would hurt like heck though!!

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
Even Media stars probably aren't maintaining their...ahhmm..."hygiene" that well if they're in a situation where they need to pee into a bag. Unless they're highly paid Media stars that were able to take a more permenant approach. Although, perhaps they would approach the waxing tune up? Poor OP probably had no idea the life this thread would take on.

Its not that expensive. Even a moderately paid nurse could afford it. NOT THAT I WOULD KNOW! My....cousin told me....:rolleyes:

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.

I understand from the responses that not everyone agrees as to which option is more dignified, but I think the key point here is that is would be great just to have different options and choices for continent women who cannot get out of bed.

I agree! Why not keep the bedpans, and also have an absorbent brief option (not for continuous use, but for on demand), and also maybe the female urinal as well? And then let the patient decide which option they prefer. Clearly not everyone here can agree on what is most dignified and least humiliating, so how can we presume that all female patients would feel the same way either? Why not give them an option on what makes THEM most comfortable?

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.
I think this relates to any continent female who cannot get out of the bed for whatever reason.

I had to use a bedpan while in labor and it was awful. And far from easy with my hugely gravid belly.

The thing about using some kind of pad/ brief against the perineum is that the woman wouldn't even really have to be on her back but could lay on her side as well (which would have been wonderful when I was in labor).

I understand from the responses that not everyone agrees as to which option is more dignified, but I think the key point here is that is would be great just to have different options and choices for continent women who cannot get out of bed.

All good points. I am not an OB nurse but I would like to know what is the current EBP for the use of foley catheters in this specialty area. Thank you.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
I have a funny story about this. I had a patient whose daughter is an RN. I always use "brief," "incontinence pad," etc. She was being discharged but still had moments of fecal incontinence related to her treatment regimen. I asked her if she would like to borrow an incontinence brief to go home in. She just looked at me like I was crazy until her dtr piped in, "A diaper, mom. A diaper!" to which the pt responded, "Oh, yes! Thank you!"

Kind of a similar story; when I was a CNA, a lady I worked with was telling about getting an elder w/ dementia onto the commode. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. My coworker was saying, "Can you defecate? Can you move your bowels?" His wife, from the other side of the curtain, said "Just tell him to take a ****!" :laugh:

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At least with bed pan a person and clean themselves up with dignity.

Most of my patients have to use a bed pan, but are not able to clean themselves. Or to use the callbell. There is no real dignity for my patients either way. Where dignity comes in, is in my attitude toward caring for them, matter of factly cleaning them, and NEVER referring to 'messes'. Responding promptly to their needs, keeping a close eye on them. All of these things whether incontinent or on a bedpan. I would love to have a device that would be effective for those few who are able to call, because I agree, bedpans are painful!

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Specializes in LTAC, ICU, ER, Informatics.

Probably TMI, but I had to have a cardiac cath for an ablation, and during my 6 hours flat, I could not make myself pee in the bedpan to save my life. I don't know if I could have made myself go in a pad of some sort or not, but nothing we tried could get me to let loose in the bedpan. I finally was hurting so bad I begged the nurse to get a catheter order from the doc. He approved an in and out for less chance of infection, and it got me through the 6 hour period until I could get up.

I 100% agree with involving the patient in the conversation. If I had multiple fractures and couldn't get up to a bedside at least, I personally would rather have an in and out every time I had to pee (though long term I'd prefer an indwelling frankly) than to have bedpans. Fully understanding the infection risk, I'd choose a catheter. Not everyone would. I'd like to see us have more options to present, and the cleaner the better.

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Specializes in Oncology.

Honestly, I work on a unit that uses a fair number of foleys. We clean the tubing and peri area q12 hour and after each BM with CHG wipes. We are religious about keeping tubing kink free, bags off the ground, tubing off the ground. We use a closed system and open it for no reason. If the bag needs replacing, the whole system gets changed. We have aids the empty the bags carefully so as not to introduce bacteria. I believe we're on our second consecutive year of 0 CAUTI. Well cared for foleys are not that risky. I've said it betel and I'll say it again. I work for a facility that values good nursing care and staffs to ensure it. It shows in our quality metrics.

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Specializes in LTAC, ICU, ER, Informatics.
Honestly, I work on a unit that uses a fair number of foleys. We clean the tubing and peri area q12 hour and after each BM with CHG wipes. We are religious about keeping tubing kink free, bags off the ground, tubing off the ground. We use a closed system and open it for no reason. If the bag needs replacing, the whole system gets changed. We have aids the empty the bags carefully so as not to introduce bacteria. I believe we're on our second consecutive year of 0 CAUTI. Well cared for foleys are not that risky. I've said it betel and I'll say it again. I work for a facility that values good nursing care and staffs to ensure it. It shows in our quality metrics.

That's really great. I would imagine that if you needed two extra people to keep your patient positioned to ensure a sterile insertion, that happens too. Places I've worked didn't make it possible to get extra help for placement, and we couldn't ensure sterility. Always bugged me.

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