Dumb question...How do you clean up poop?

LovingLife123 · Sep 12, 2017

Washcloths, water, cleanser, nex chux. Washcloths go into linen bin. I change sheets and gowns if they get dirty from poop, otherwise I don't. With people going multiple times a day, it's not necessary unless dirty. Patients get baths and fresh linens once a day on my unit.

ItsThatJenGirl, CNA · Sep 12, 2017

When I was a CNA, it was washcloths with soap and water. Change linens/gowns if a mess was made, but otherwise no. Washcloths into the linen hamper.

smf0903 · Sep 12, 2017

We have disposable wipes that we use. We use chux to protect linens if they're still clean while moving the patient to clean them up. If the patient is having a lot of bowel movements we will use a barrier cream to help protect the skin.

When you go to clinicals, help the aides...you can learn a ton from them!

brownbook · Sep 12, 2017

Your question is brilliant. Please........ NO DUMB QUESTIONS. You are so lucky to have the Internet, Allnurses, and YouTube. YouTube has some great videos on basic patient care, including cleaning incontinent patients.

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Sep 12, 2017

The correct answer is........very carefully. :)

oceangirl1234 · Sep 13, 2017

We have wipes that we keep heated. If there is a large mess I will use washcloths and warm soapy water. Only change gowns/sheets if dirty. Good idea to take in an extra slider sheet though since they can get dirty while cleaning.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Sep 13, 2017

The shorter answer is "YES!!!" The longer answer is that we do clean up poop. I'm an ED nurse, so while I'm concerned about maintaining skin integrity, I'm not as focused on it as other nurses are. I use whatever is handy, for the most part. If I have a few minutes, I'll use washcloths with warm soapy water. That stuff cleans really well and quickly. If I need to be a bit faster, I'll use warmed (if we have any) wet wipes and just toss those. They also clean pretty well but they're less comfortable. We do change large absorbent pads, gowns, and linens if they get dirty. That's an excellent tip about using slide sheets. They work well and can get dirty really quickly when you're cleaning patients.

The vast majority of patients we see aren't still in the ED even a few hours later so most of the time we don't bother much with barrier creams unless the patient already has skin issues. I will let the floor nurses know if I suspect the patient needs a bit of TLC in this regard. One of the best things I do like about where I work is that our floor nurses know that the ED nurses have different priorities than they do and to expect that we haven't done a full head-to-toe assessment like they will.

Also the suggestion that you hang out with the CNAs is an excellent one. They're often experts at cleaning patients and doing appropriate chux/gown/linen changes. You'll learn a TON from them!

allnurses Guide · Sep 13, 2017

Cleaning up poop is NOT an easy task. :) I concur with using warm, wet

washcloths. Shaving cream also works wonders to clean the patient and

leave a nice smell. For smaller messes, warm wet wipes are fine.

jennylee321 · Sep 13, 2017

Agree with above, no dumb questions. Before I started nursing school I didn't get how the mechanics of changing an adult brief would go. I used to think, well how do you lift an adults legs in the air (like you do with babies) hahah

brownbook · Sep 13, 2017

Agree with above, no dumb questions. Before I started nursing school I didn't get how the mechanics of changing an adult brief would go. I used to think, well how do you lift an adults legs in the air (like you do with babies) hahah

When I was checking YouTube for videos about changing incontinent patients, the first video on the list is for a product, the LavinLift Strap. A strap goes around the patient's thighs and lifts them up with a mechanical lift device, just like you do with your arms with a baby.

jennylee321 · Sep 13, 2017

Ohhh Brownbook, thank you so much for sharing this. I found the video and had a really good laugh.