Bedpan? Why not a Poise pad?

Nurses General Nursing

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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?!?!?!

Bed pans make it easier to measure urinary output (UOP) and observe the color, clarity, amount, and odor of the pee... .super important. If the PT is on Intake and Output (IOP) poise pads would make it kind of impossible to accurately record the amount of pee coming out.

There are also special bedpans called FX bedpans (fracture or orthopedic bedpans) designed for use in pt's who can't roll on their side due to back surgery, leg fx, hip replacement, etc. The logistics are different with each pt depending on their injury but usually you get them to elevate their hips a teeny bit. This is usually done one of two ways, either have the PT bend their good leg at the knee and push down with their foot onto the bed to raise their hips or if legs are immobilized, the pt uses the trapeze to raise their hips. Once their hips are raised a bit, you slide the FX bedpan under the pt like a doorstop. The deeper end facing toward the FOB.

It's uncomfortable, but I think the PT would be a whole lot more uncomfortable with dying because I sacrificed getting an accurate IOP for their comfort lol.Schedule

If the PT is on Intake and Output (IOP) poise pads would make it kind of impossible to accurately record the amount of pee coming out.

Not really. Just weigh the brief, pad, or whatever and subtract it from the weight of a dry one. It was standard practice for strict intake and output in the NICU.

Of course, you'd need bigger scales than ones made for baby diapers, but it can be done.

Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.
If the PT is on Intake and Output (IOP) poise pads would make it kind of impossible to accurately record the amount of pee coming out.

There are also special bedpans called FX bedpans . . .

It's uncomfortable, but I think the PT would be a whole lot more uncomfortable with dying because I sacrificed getting an accurate IOP for their comfort lol.Schedule

Hi DCBW!!

As a NICU nurse I can assure you it is quite possible to determine UOP from a poise pad or diaper (which I use in the context of infant care, so please no attacks on that term).

Also, if you read through the thread you'll see that the majority of the previous posters are quite familiar with fracture pans, and their severe limitations, hence the current discussion.

Best regards!

Specializes in Critical Care, formerly Oncology.

We jury-rigged a better female urinal by attaching an ambu bag mask to a urinal. The squishy edges of the mask held it in place well so we didn't have any leakage.

Bed pans make it easier to measure urinary output (UOP) and observe the color, clarity, amount, and odor of the pee... .super important. If the PT is on Intake and Output (IOP) poise pads would make it kind of impossible to accurately record the amount of pee coming out.

There are also special bedpans called FX bedpans (fracture or orthopedic bedpans) designed for use in pt's who can't roll on their side due to back surgery, leg fx, hip replacement, etc. The logistics are different with each pt depending on their injury but usually you get them to elevate their hips a teeny bit. This is usually done one of two ways, either have the PT bend their good leg at the knee and push down with their foot onto the bed to raise their hips or if legs are immobilized, the pt uses the trapeze to raise their hips. Once their hips are raised a bit, you slide the FX bedpan under the pt like a doorstop. The deeper end facing toward the FOB.

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It's uncomfortable, but I think the PT would be a whole lot more uncomfortable with dying because I sacrificed getting an accurate IOP for their comfort lol.Schedule

If I/O measurement is that important, the patient needs a Foley.

Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.
We jury-rigged a better female urinal by attaching an ambu bag mask to a urinal. The squishy edges of the mask held it in place well so we didn't have any leakage.

How did you McGyver the ambu mask to urinal? Tape?

Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
We jury-rigged a better female urinal by attaching an ambu bag mask to a urinal. The squishy edges of the mask held it in place well so we didn't have any leakage.

This is BRILLIANT!!!! :yes:

They removed all powder from our units for a similar or related reason.

p.s. Its 2am here in Tx..noticed the "0657" on my entry time. A little OCD never killed a nurse!

Odds are you still need to the roll the pt to put on the brief. Not every woman can lift her hips. Especially if they are larger. So whether you are rolling them for a bedpan or a brief, they still are turning.

When the woman is larger, we stuff dry wipes in the crotch to catch some of the urine. It works very well.

my take is that they aren't putting it on, but gently pushing it under.

Odds are you still need to the roll the pt to put on the brief. Not every woman can lift her hips. Especially if they are larger. So whether you are rolling them for a bedpan or a brief, they still are turning.

When the woman is larger, we stuff dry wipes in the crotch to catch some of the urine. It works very well.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.
We jury-rigged a better female urinal by attaching an ambu bag mask to a urinal. The squishy edges of the mask held it in place well so we didn't have any leakage.

Your entire team needs to meet with a production/manufacturing design team to create a prototype for testing. This is AWESOME!

Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
Odds are you still need to the roll the pt to put on the brief. Not every woman can lift her hips. Especially if they are larger. So whether you are rolling them for a bedpan or a brief, they still are turning.

Even if you're rolling them to put a brief under them, you're still able to keep them relatively flat, and a brief is going to contain the urine. A bedpan, on the other hand, is still going to end up with urine leaking everywhere (down the legs, up the back), which results in even more time rolled onto her side while being cleaned up and having the linens changed.... not to mention the elevated bedpan is uncomfortable to lie on in the first place, even if it's a smaller "fracture pan".

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