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?!?!?!

along those lines - nothing is crueler than an 80 mg dose of lasix at 2200 in an 85 year old woman with limited mobility and no foley

Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

We just had a discussion about the female urinal. Our ED has them, but we don't seem to have access to them :( I work on ortho so it is always an issues. we try to do the best we can with the bedpans. we do not use briefs (hate calling them diapers for adults)and Foleys come out asap to avoid UTIs. It's a little more work, but we manage and most pts do well.

Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

I would much rather be given a Poise pad or a diaper to void in, when needed, than be sat on a bedpan. I thin the OPs idea is super. I see much less dignity in a bedpan that spills and is uncomfy than a soft disposable diaper or pad that is thrown away as soon as it's used.

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?

Me too, I understood the idea of a diaper, pad, whatever, let them pee, then clean them and remove it!

I have female patient bed pan phobia! I can never seem to place the bed pan correctly. Until I read this post and comments I thought I was the only nurse with this problem.

I have watched you tube videos, but the patient is so small, compliant, turns or lifts herself so easily...it doesn't relate to the real world! Plus I only need to use them 2 - 3 times a year!

I am truly amazed that some of you think it better to put chucks and pads and briefs surrounding a patient and have them void in the beds then to put them on a bed pan.

I agree that maybe something new could be created that should be more comfortable then a bed pan. But the last thing I would ever want it having a bunch of things waded around my private area and having me pee and still feel wet and have to be cleaned up. You'd get more urine on the patient that way. I'd feel so humiliated. To pee on my bed and then have to be cleaned like a baby. At least with bed pan a person and clean themselves up with dignity

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

Seems like a decent idea, but I have never worked in a hospital that had them in stock....and I have worked in 3 hospitals.

Specializes in Oncology.
I am truly amazed that some of you think it better to put chucks and pads and briefs surrounding a patient and have them void in the beds then to put them on a bed pan.

I agree that maybe something new could be created that should be more comfortable then a bed pan. But the last thing I would ever want it having a bunch of things waded around my private area and having me pee and still feel wet and have to be cleaned up. You'd get more urine on the patient that way. I'd feel so humiliated. To pee on my bed and then have to be cleaned like a baby. At least with bed pan a person and clean themselves up with dignity

You're totally missing the idea being presented. It's not having someone sit in a bed full of chucks and diapers. It's having them call, just like they would for the bedpan, and instead of presenting a bedpan, presenting a soft, disposable diaper. It's exactly the same process as a bedpan, different object used.

Specializes in Postpartum, Med Surg, Home Health.

I think OP's idea is great. I hate hate hate bedpans with a passion. Urine still seems to leak and the pt will still feel wet and dirty. Personally I would rather urinate in a diaper that I can hold to myself that to sit on a bedpan and void..dignity..what is dignified about sitting on a bedpan and being instructed to void on yourself? Then what is so dignified about rolling over and maybe that pan spilling and creating a bigger mess? If ever a pt needs to relieve themselves while in bed, I consider it "undignified" it's just a matter of what's more comfortable and in this case I think that's the baby diaper

Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.

It might be worth a try to position the toddler diaper and place a fracture pan with another toddler diaper tucked in and over the end opposite the handle to catch the spillage.

I wish people in health care would stop calling ADULT briefs diapers, baby diapers, toddler diapers,

I was taught in CNA class to call them briefs or depends. Never diapers

Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.
I am truly amazed that some of you think it better to put chucks and pads and briefs surrounding a patient and have them void in the beds then to put them on a bed pan.

I agree that maybe something new could be created that should be more comfortable then a bed pan. But the last thing I would ever want it having a bunch of things waded around my private area and having me pee and still feel wet and have to be cleaned up. You'd get more urine on the patient that way. I'd feel so humiliated. To pee on my bed and then have to be cleaned like a baby. At least with bed pan a person and clean themselves up with dignity

With a bedpan, the pt ends up with a wet behind anyway, especially pts on bedrest s/p cardiac cath and fluids going to prevent contrast nephropathy. At least an absorbent pad would wick the moisture away from the skin. You could tuck it into the gluteal cleft a bit so that it doesn't run up their backs.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.
I wish people in health care would stop calling ADULT briefs diapers, baby diapers, toddler diapers,

I was taught in CNA class to call them briefs or depends. Never diapers

I have a funny story about this. I had a patient whose daughter is an RN. I always use "brief," "incontinence pad," etc. She was being discharged but still had moments of fecal incontinence related to her treatment regimen. I asked her if she would like to borrow an incontinence brief to go home in. She just looked at me like I was crazy until her dtr piped in, "A diaper, mom. A diaper!" to which the pt responded, "Oh, yes! Thank you!"

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