Bedpan? Why not a Poise pad?

[TryVeganToday]

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?!?!?!

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

Ok, so if we are talking about a capacity issue, baby diapers are filled with crystals that absorb massive amounts of urine. Anyone who has changed an overnight diaper that weights like 3 pounds understands what I am talking about. I just feel that there must be a better product and more comfortable way for women to urinate when they have 2 broken hips, a broken arm and 2 cracked vertebras.

Well, dignity issue aside--which alone is a perfect reason not to ask someone to use a diaper--

1.) You're going to have to roll them back and forth to wash them (because their urine got on more than just the perianal area) and remove the pad.

2.) Unless their spine is so unstable that they cannot safely move--which would be an indication for a Foley--they NEED to move. They won't recover and leave the hospital by lying motionless to avoid pain. They will have to move their bodies for PT, for their bed bath/shower, for linen changes, for skin assessments......

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

and lastly, wow... really quick to attack, I was under the impression that asking a simple question I would get some ideas from experienced nurses... Maybe I should just look someplace else.

I've always hated having to use a bedpan for a patient - talk about torture for the patient in pain!! I'm with you on finding another option and don't think your idea is bad at all.

I HATE bedpans....fracture pans are about as good as dust pans.

I agree!

Dignity for one. Think about it this way: Would you like it if we told you you won't have time to use the bathroom while working so you may as well just wear a diaper instead of going to the toilet?

How dignified is it to use a bedpan? I've always thought that along with being torturous it is very undignified for a patient to lay in their own urine/feces on top of a bedpan. Then trying to get that pan out from under the patient when it is full of urine or feces? Still the potential for mess-making.

Yes, women do get short-shrift here . . . . . invent away folks! We need good ideas.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

geesh, I got the OPs point from the first post, what do i have, super divining powers? or was she clearer than many of you are giving her credit for?

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

I agree it can be tough to use bedpans. I think the suggestions of baby power and barrier cream were helpful. It is just as painful for men when they need to have a BM. As a patient I would still take a bedpan over a rectal tube or catheter. Perhaps as a group we could all invent something and retire high and dry ?

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Have you looked into the option of female urinals? Could be a good option for your patients.

You know. when I first heard of these I thought it sounded like a great idea. Unfortunately, I have never, never, never seen one that actually works in a supine patient, i.e., that catches all the urine reliably. There's always a puddle where it leaks posteriorly.

I have used a baby diaper in an inconvenient place, e.g., my car when there was no place to stop and no room to squat over that leftover coffee cup. Works great. And I have also seen old guys postop from prostate surgery temporarily wear a very small baby diaper over the member under regular clothing to catch drips. I don't see any reason why it's a bad idea at all. Those absorbent crystals or gels are terrific.

[Christy1019, ASN, RN]

geesh, I got the OPs point from the first post, what do i have, super divining powers? or was she clearer than many of you are giving her credit for?

I was thinking the same thing. I don't think the idea is half bad. I know I'd personally rather use a baby diaper than a bed pan lol.

[toomuchbaloney]

Oh no, I am not saying give them one then just walk away like putting them in a diaper and letting them lay in it, that is insane. I am thinking more like this... There ARE female urinals, but when you have to be flat gravity is your enemy and the urine doesnt flow down and stay down. Like a modification of the urinal that could hold a pad or even absorbent crystals preventing it from backflowing.

Seriously, I am OCD when it comes to cleanliness of patients and making sure they are as comfortable, clean and dry as possible. I only tried asking this board because I have had 2 patients this week ask for something other than a bedpan and I came into a room where a mother DID use her visiting baby's diaper to pee in and we laughed that it was kinda a good idea.

and lastly, wow... really quick to attack, I was under the impression that asking a simple question I would get some ideas from experienced nurses... Maybe I should just look someplace else.

You asked the initial question in a manner which is offensive to many patient advocates.

If you cannot tolerate a bit of push back on your initial post then we are quite alright with you looking "someplace else" for your answers.

I find it unfortunate that your OCD about cleanliness would cause you to think that it might be better to simply encourage your patients to be incontinent when there are other options. I would rather that your OCD was centered around maintaining dignity for your female patients IF it has to be expressed in the workplace at all.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

There is such a thing as a female urinal and we stock those as well as bedpans. It is easier to use so ask your hospital to check it out.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

You know. when I first heard of these I thought it sounded like a great idea. Unfortunately, I have never, never, never seen one that actually works in a supine patient, i.e., that catches all the urine reliably. There's always a puddle where it leaks posteriorly.

I have used a baby diaper in an inconvenient place, e.g., my car when there was no place to stop and no room to squat over that leftover coffee cup. Works great. And I have also seen old guys postop from prostate surgery temporarily wear a very small baby diaper over the member under regular clothing to catch drips. I don't see any reason why it's a bad idea at all. Those absorbent crystals or gels are terrific.

Your bringing back memories of the female astronaut on her mission to eliminate the competition. lol

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

You asked the initial question in a manner which is offensive to many patient advocates.

If you cannot tolerate a bit of push back on your initial post then we are quite alright with you looking "someplace else" for your answers.

I find it unfortunate that your OCD about cleanliness would cause you to think that it might be better to simply encourage your patients to be incontinent when there are other options. I would rather that your OCD was centered around maintaining dignity for your female patients IF it has to be expressed in the workplace at all.

Voiding onto a diaper placed immediately prior for that purpose and removed immediately after is not incontinence.

[bookwormom]

Baby powder does help with bedpans, but there is still the concern that it is a respiratory irritant, and I have seen it linked to ovarian cancer, too, although I don't know how strong the relationship is.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Baby powder does help with bedpans, but there is still the concern that it is a respiratory irritant, and I have seen it linked to ovarian cancer, too, although I don't know how strong the relationship is.

That's with talc. Most powders now are cornstarch.