How do you find the right size adult brief for a new patient?

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How do you usually find the right size adult brief/diaper for a new patient with incontinence? Do you measure the patient's waist/hip, use height & weight, or just eyeball it and change size if it leaks?

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You can just eyeball it after a while. There aren't that many sizes usually.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

You get one that you think will fit. If it is the wrong size you go and get another one.

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Specializes in Pedi.

When I worked in the hospital we had 3 sizes of "adult" diapers. It was a pediatric hospital but many chronic/disabled kids are incontinent forever and after the age of like 6 they usually have outgrown the size 6 diapers. You look at your patient and use your best guess... a smaller kid got peach, medium sized got white and teenagers got blue at my old hospital. If they didn't find, go to the next size up or down.

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Thanks. I appreciate it! I thought the adult diaper or brief selection was a little bigger in hospitals and long term care facilities.

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I always just eyeballed them, and then used one of the one-size-fits-all briefs that we were supplied with.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

I say this in all sincerity --- I'd ask one of my more experienced CNAs for an opinion.

The aides are remarkable for the many things they do, and I appreciate their expertise and knowledge. After all, who knows better than a CNA how to prevent leaky incont problems (and prevent making an extra bed over).

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Eventually you will get so you can guess fairly accurately. (What a skill to have huh?)

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