Thread on giving baths got me thinking, and was wondering if nurses still make beds with "hospital" corners anymore. Also is learning the three basic types of beds part of formal nursing education anymore?
I'll leave aside the mandate that pillow slip opening must face away from the door for now. *LOL*
Merely require information, as am often gobsmacked at what passes for a bed these days in hospital, and often hear "I don't have time for that".
Speaking as the one who's in the bed instead of making it, it's really a shame that so few of you report that your patients are able to get their beds changed and a bath every day. I can't begin to tell you how much better a clean, fresh bed and a bath/shower make you feel when you're sick.
And for the record, Chux are torture devices, especially for those patients who can't easily move themselves about and unbunch them when they inevitably wad up. Linen draw sheets help save our skin.
Our bottom sheets are fitted, at least they are meant to be. On the occasion that we have an extra large bed that the fitted sheets will not go on, then yes I will do hospital corners on straight sheets. I never do hospital corners on top sheets or blankets. I have to assess pulses and color too often to bother with that nonsense.
Right. I was taught the tucked in mitered corners were for when the pt was not in the bed.
The bedding at the foot gets draped over the foot board when they are in bed to help circulation, prevent skin break down on the toes and prevent drop foot.
Speaking as the one who's in the bed instead of making it, it's really a shame that so few of you report that your patients are able to get their beds changed and a bath every day. I can't begin to tell you how much better a clean, fresh bed and a bath/shower make you feel when you're sick.
And for the record, Chux are torture devices, especially for those patients who can't easily move themselves about and unbunch them when they inevitably wad up. Linen draw sheets help save our skin.
Good golly! There is nothing worse than finding a bed that has been neglected. The bottom sheet acts like a sieve and the layer of "skin dust" found on the mattress of a stripped bed is revolting!
You think about how the pts sweat, ooze and shed... yuck!
Change the dang sheets!
I place no one on a disposable chuck unless there is a good cloth draw sheet over it. Its not comfortable to lay on a wadded chuck and the wrinkles make bedsores.
the pillow case facing away from the door is a VERY old thing. It was to prevent sand and dust getting into the pillow when wards had verandas that were opened during the day to let fresh air in. I still do it and do proper bed making when the pt is out of the bed. If they are in it they get their top bed sheet pulled out and doubled over the end.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Anyone still do a toe pleat? I don't do that but I do mitre my corners and have the pillow slip opening facing away from the door.
Yes - and I agree with Merlee - and as I myself am a "princess and the pea" with annoyances like bunchy sheets that seem to slide around driving me to distraction, I wouldn't be taking the dismissive tone about it especially as a student. I ended up working in home care with nurses who either never were taught/didn't care about how to make an occupied bed, how to make the toe pleat, etc. It was a living hell. We do all still fan fold our blankets at the foot if pt is OOB, right? Anybody?
Coming from not only ICU but also vascular unit, it would be simply unrealistic to do this for our patients. We look at feet/use dopplers every 30 minutes and then every two hours until transfer to the floor. It's just not feasible to do hospital corners with these checks.
No. We use fitted sheets, which I try to ensure are free of wrinkles. We learned this when I was first in school 5 years ago, with the mitred corners. I may have done this once or twice since. And I rarely make my bed at home, except if you count smoothing out my sheets in a few seconds
There was a 9 year interval in the middle of my education. Beginning there were rubber sheets that went under the folded draw sheet. The flat bottom with the hosp. corners and the top sheet too. The next day I believe the top was used as the bottom and a new top sheet........well in that 9 year interval EVERYTHING changed!
Morphine wasn't a dissoluble tablet, syringes weren't glass, it was OK to wear flip flops and halter tops to class, sheets were fitted on the bottom and chux had made inroads. I can still miter a corner on my queen sized top sheet, and now 36 years after graduation-who cares. I was in the hospital 5 days last August and NO one even offered new sheets and I had to ask for towels. My, my, my, my. How things Do change.
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thehipcrip
109 Posts
Speaking as the one who's in the bed instead of making it, it's really a shame that so few of you report that your patients are able to get their beds changed and a bath every day. I can't begin to tell you how much better a clean, fresh bed and a bath/shower make you feel when you're sick.
And for the record, Chux are torture devices, especially for those patients who can't easily move themselves about and unbunch them when they inevitably wad up. Linen draw sheets help save our skin.