Bed Baths & Other Nursing Arts Still Taught? (Speaking of Wet Wipe Baths)

[DoGoodThenGo]

Just wondering if learning how to give bed baths is still taught in today's RN nursing programs? Or has it gone the way of other nursing arts such as three different types of bed making and so forth?

[Wrench Party]

I'm in my last semester, and I'd love to see the look on my instructor's face if I told an aide to do something for me and I wasn't

too busy. We are expected to do as much hands on care as time permits, and be helpful on the floor. Besides, the bed bath/linen

change has yielded huge clues/information about the patient I can never get from a normal assessment, such as:

1) new incontinence

2) any drainage from pressure ulcers

3) skin condition

4) any painful areas not otherwise documented

5) psychosocial. I love the LOLs that tell their life stories while I bathe them, they are often hilarious and have words of wisdom.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Bed baths are more than just skin hygiene.

You can also make sure that the conversation you hold while you bathe is going to be fruitful in understanding more about your patient.

"Tell me about where you live," can get you all sorts of info on safety, who'll be there to help after discharge, and may go off onto family issues, money worries, or a host of other things that will help you plan and target nursing care.

"How many steps do you have to climb?" may get you info on isolation, or previous falls, or the landlord won't fix the elevator....

"Do you have a shower or a tub at home?" can give you info on safety-- perhaps a tub transfer bench or shower stool would be safer, or maybe the landlord doesn't have any hot water.

"Who cooks at your house?" may give you info that says there's no one who cooks, so she gets meals on wheels three times a week, or she has six grandchildren to feed so she does, or...

See, this is the way to use purposeful communication. When you think, "Bed bath, boring, why doesn't the aide do them all?" this is one reason why. Because the RN is held to a higher standard. - See more at: https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/bed-bath-assessment-683074.html#sthash.pgficcpa.dpuf

[Racer15, BSN, RN]

The program I graduated from requires you to take a CNA course prior to admission, so everyone comes into the program already knowing how to give bed baths and make beds. I work in the ED though, so I don't do those things much.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

I still can't make a hospital corner....

[rammstein]

Second day of lab was bed bath and making an occupied bed. First day was unoccupied bed.

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

Before nursing school (BSN) I hadn't even thought of the possibility of making an occupied bed. I thought it was magic when we learned it. Lab is what taught me how. Clinical is what made me good at it.

Skills lab baths do not resemble real world bed baths in either technique or speed.

In the real world, sheets are fitted and hospital corners are a figure of speech.

We learned bed baths in my LPN school. With wash cloths and with wet wipes. I personally hate the wet wipes. I know they are used in the hospital moreso than washcloths. But give me a good old fashioned basin filled with soapy water and a stack of washcloths any day.

The evidence strongly supports disposable prepregged wipes over washcloths and basins unless addressing excessive soil. Doing so reduces skin breakdown and nosocomial infection rates.

Reusing bath basins is disgusting. Our facility has removed them from inventory because the evidence shows them to be petri dishes.

[RetRN77]

When I had my surgery in 2011 and was still in ICU, the nurse used a disposable pad that was nice and warm - I have to say it felt wonderful! Much nicer than washcloths which seem to get cold no matter how quickly one moves from basin to patient. I saw some for sale somewhere and stocked up in case of an unexpected event.

But an ordinary wet wipe? Yuck!

[RetRN77]

Bed-making is still taught. Whether they're still remembered after the mind-numbing classes on nursing research and ethics and etc... is questionable.

Funny thing is, I first learned proper bed-making by a drill sergeant -- tight, neat, wrinkle-free. Years later, I encounter a nursing instructor who I thought really knew how to teach making a bed... Turns out she's ex-military too.

We had an instructor who told us the bed should be tight enough to bounce a quarter. Yep - ex military, too. I thought she was a wee bit obsessed until she checked the bed I had made (occupied) and told me I had done a poor job. She proceeded to pull the sheet while putting one of her feet on the bed frame! I thought she might go flying herself, or that the patient would. The next thing I heard was the patient saying, "Oh, that feels so wonderful!" Never forgot that, and worked hard thereafter trying to make the tightest beds I could.

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

Remember, too tight of a top sheet contributes to foot drop and pressure ulcers. Patients must be able to move freely.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

Before nursing school (BSN) I hadn't even thought of the possibility of making an occupied bed. I thought it was magic when we learned it. Lab is what taught me how. Clinical is what made me good at it.

Skills lab baths do not resemble real world bed baths in either technique or speed.

In the real world, sheets are fitted and hospital corners are a figure of speech.

The evidence strongly supports disposable prepregged wipes over washcloths and basins unless addressing excessive soil. Doing so reduces skin breakdown and nosocomial infection rates.

Reusing bath basins is disgusting. Our facility has removed them from inventory because the evidence

shows them to be petri dishes.

So who reuses the basins? They're plastic and disposable.

[RetRN77]

Remember, too tight of a top sheet contributes to foot drop and pressure ulcers. Patients must be able to move freely.

Definitely. I was referring to the bottom sheet.

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

So who reuses the basins? They're plastic and disposable.

Commonplace despite education and policy... sadly...