Bed Baths, I dread giving them.

Nurses General Nursing

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OK, so now I'm going to split my 0.6 FTE on our small rural hospital 6 bed CCU/Stepdown unit half and half, 12 hour days and 12 hour nights, since some rare weekday dayshifts opened up. I'm keeping nights for my weekend obligation. In our unit, baths are done on days. I have never worked days in my 13 years of being a nurse. I told my manager today that my worst fear is giving baths. I have a great manager, btw.

Any tips on giving bedbaths? Really, I'm totally unskilled at giving bedbaths. Anyone else scared of them?

Specializes in cardiac med-surg.

oh yes when pts are up in the chair for breakie i give them a nice hot facecloth to freshen hands and face

i tell them to wash away the sins of the night !

Specializes in ICU, psych, corrections.

I am an ICU nurse and love bathtime with my patients! It's a great opportunity to "bond" with the patients and really get an excellent skin assessment. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I can stand back after my baths and see a clean, fresh patient on crisp white sheets. I also shave my male patient's faces and my female patient's legs and underarms (I buy the big pack of disposable razors at Costco and use one for each patient because the hospital-issued ones are crap; I've cut many patient's faces up with those cheap blades!). In the past, I've even painted toenails on a young lady who, according to her family, was very conscious of her appearance.

I wash my patients hair with the shampoo caps and in the case of women with long hair (who've been in our unit for weeks and have very tangled up locks), I will put a bit of conditioner in it and braid it so it doesn't continue to get tangled up. My baths take approximately 30-40 minutes from start to finish, including oral care, trach care, and any dressing changes that need to be done.

I have a little "goodie" bag that I bring in filled with quality razors, elastic bands for the hair, shaving cream (in case I can't get any from patient supply), linen spray (for those who aren't sensitive to fragrances and aren't on vents), and grapefruit lotion (ambiguous enough for both male and females....again, I don't use unless family/patient is able to tell me if the patient is sensitive to fragrances or has allergies).

I look forward to my bed baths, but in the beginning, I will admit that I, too, was afraid of giving them...LOL. I was very reluctant to actually do them on my own (I had been giving baths with my preceptor all through nursing school). But I eventually got over it and have made it into my own little "ritual" with my patients. The families are always very appreciative, especially when the little things like shaving legs and armpits (on gals) are done. I know that when I'm sick, I feel tons better when I actually get my butt into the shower and lather up. It may not make me "healthier" or any less sick, but I somehow feel better. I like to think my patients feel much the same way.

Melanie = )

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Oh i HATE the hospital-issue razors too! Even when the pt. was able to shave themselves, they would get cut.

Specializes in Hospice.

I discovered that warming up the lotion before applying to a resident makes a huge difference. I do that by either placing the bottle (after double-checking to make sure the cap was tight) under hot running water for a few minutes or soaking it for a few minutes in a cup of hot water (the lotion provided by the facility didn't have a paper label, all the info was printed on the plastic bottle).

You know, I'm not a huge fan of giving bedbaths either, but I know how much I like to feel clean and fresh. I just remember this, and apply the "golden rule" as I'm providing care- treat others like I'd like to be treated.

Specializes in Hospice.
I think the stuff we had was Aloe Vesta's SeptiSoap. I LOVE the smell of that stuff, it wasn't perfumy, just fresh.

I agree! That stuff is awesome. Aloe Vesta also makes a fantastic cleasing spray. Not only does it smell great, but seems to be very gentle on the skin.

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
I agree! That stuff is awesome. Aloe Vesta also makes a fantastic cleasing spray. Not only does it smell great, but seems to be very gentle on the skin.

That green foam stuff, that was great stuff.

I haven't done one since school but I always made sure to wash one body part at a time, dry it, and cover it. Keep the pt covered except for what I was washing. And I always asked if the pt preferred me to wash their face and privates, or if they would like to do it themselves.

A trick a nurse gave me is that pure vinegar will take out the seriously matted hair tangles. It worked for my pt, BUT, make sure the patient doesn't have any respiratory issues or sensitivities b/c you'll stink up the place with its strong odor. After washing the patients hair with vinegar I thoroughly rinsed it and then washed it like one normally would. After a good brushing I didn't have to cut her hair as originally thought. :nuke:

Hmmm......lotion in the water? Are you all saying to put lotion in the water with the soap? Is that to soften the skin or something? I am about to start my second semester in my nursing program and unfortunately only had the chance to do one complete bath and assist in another. By the way, I really appreciate the tips you all are giving in this thread.

At my hospital the CNAs do baths. Since I'm a student I get to help them often. One very wise CNA advised the following:

As was said several times above, use hot water in the basin (the cloth will not be too hot by the time the patient feels it). Add soap or lotion or oil.

This is the key: Place like 5-8 washcloths in the prepared water in the basin, place the dirty linen hamper near enough to "shoot for two". Use the cloths and REPLACE THEM OFTEN. Never, ever, put a dirty cloth back into the clean water.

This saves tons of time and the patients do notice that they are being cared for with clean cloths.

I will keep this one in mind. :D

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
Hmmm......lotion in the water? Are you all saying to put lotion in the water with the soap? Is that to soften the skin or something? I am about to start my second semester in my nursing program and unfortunately only had the chance to do one complete bath and assist in another. By the way, I really appreciate the tips you all are giving in this thread.

On people with very dry skin I sometimes put a little lotion on the wet wash cloth, but haven't tried putting it in the water.

Specializes in Nursing assistant.

These are great tips!

About lotion in the water: sometimes we get neglected cases in the hospital, and it is less harsh on the elderly patients skin if I pre-lotion them, to soften the stuff. It washes of a bit more easily.

This was a great question: how to give a bed bath. I thought I was doing OK, but did find I was doing a bit to dry of a bath recently. I was afraid that it would make the patient cold, but get them plenty wet and dry them fast.

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