Bedpans

MikeyJ, RN · Jul 10, 2007

I just have a question that is probably really basic....
At work we have two types of bedpans, the big metal ones, and smaller plastic ones, I think they are called slipper pans (which I have only just worked out that I was using them the wrong way!! How embaressing!) anyway, how do you know which one to get, do you just ask the patient which one they prefer? Or is one better for voiding and the other for bowel movements?
And I still have problems getting people on and off them, does anyone else have this?

The "slip pans" are used for patients with some type of contraindication of lifting their hips, such as a hip fracture.

And yes, bed pans are no fun. I wonder if the folks to manufacture bedpans ever went and tried it on a patient themselvles. You would think there would be a much better way of making a bedpan.

TazziRN, RN · Jul 10, 2007

Here's a trick to make getting a full pan out easier: wipe the seat part of it with lotion before putting it in place. When you take it out it will slip right out without jerking and you have less spillage. Especially important with the slip or fracture pans.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jul 10, 2007

what you are calling a "slipper" pan is called a "fracture pan" here in america. that flat part of the pan is the section that needs to go under the sacral area of the person's body. the handle of the pan needs to be facing the foot of the bed. these pans are used when the person is unable to lift their hips up very high for any number of reasons. there are a few logistical problems with them, however. they tend to spill their contents very readily if they are jostled the slightest bit when you are removing them, so you have to be very careful when taking them out from under the patient. they also tend to kind of stick to the skin if the patient stays on them for very long. we often dusted them with baby powder that allowed us to slide them under and out of the patient easily. it's also a good idea to have something extra under the patient's buttocks, if you can, to catch any spillage, just in case.

in my experience, many more patients prefer the fracture, or slipper, pans because they are just easier for them to sit on. usually, if the patient has had experience using both types of bedpans they will let you know which one they prefer. after a while, you'll know which one you prefer as well! one of the disadvantages of the fracture, or slipper, pans is that if the female patients don't separate their legs a bit when they are urinating, the crevice formed when their thighs are together will catch their urine and run it right off down to the end of the bed and onto the linens. their urine will also run along the line created by the top of their thighs and their groin. then, you've got bed linens to change. toileting in bed is just not an easy thing and often requires some pre-thinking and creativity to minimize and prevent the cleanup that might be required afterward. this is part of the learning curve of this particular skill.

this is truly one of those nursing skills that a textbook just doesn't do justice. you learn more about it by doing it and talking with other nurses about how they solve some of the problems that you are just now discovering about it that textbooks don't mention.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f205/fracture-bedpans-232489.html - this very subject discussed a week or so ago on the nursing student assistance forum

http://www.hospiceoforange.com/pcg/activities.htm - scroll down to the section on "getting on and off the bedpan"

http://www.asisvcs.com/publications/pdf/071100.pdf - on page 24 of this nurse aide booklet is a description of the procedure for how to place a patient on a bedpan. notice point #5.

jjjoy, LPN · Jul 10, 2007

Learning all the little tricks to things like bedpan use are why it can be useful to work as a nursing assistant. There is SO much to figure out as a new nurse responsible for meds, calling docs, assessments, charting, etc that it can be a big benefit to not have to also be figuring out how to assist with toileting and the like efficiently. You do learn the basics in school but working as an assistant gives the repeated practice and variety of differences in working with different people that one needs to be PROFICIENT and EFFICIENT in addition to being knowledgeable and safe (what you learn in school).