How does your hospital "track" patient baths?

[hopesprings]

On our med sure unit, we don't currently have a policy regarding frequency of baths.(i.e. every day, every other day). This has resulted at times in some patients not receiving a bath for several days. I am interested in seeing how other units are keeping track of their patient baths - does every nurse or CNA look in the chart for last bath, is the latest bath date passed verbally, is there a chart on your wall with last bath? We are at the mercy of the same stresses of other facilities..shortage of CNAs(1:16 ratio at times), so accurate tracking of baths is essential! Thanks for your input.

[NurseJae19, BSN, RN]

16 patients is ALOT! I’m not sure you’ll have time to get everything done, especially baths. I’ve floated to many units so I could give a few examples... some of the units didn’t have any bath rules, but I was taught to ask patients about baths every shift unless they were bathed at the previous shift. The independent patients were only given supplies.

Some units had a list at the nurses stations on who will get baths on which shifts (mostly dependent patients). While some units required baths every other shift unless they declined. One unit did something similar but depending on the patient load would give two techs one patient to bathe whether they were your patient or not. ICU everyone received a CHG bath mainly on night shift but if it wasn’t done the nurse would pass it on during report. One ICU gave baths to every new admit no matter what shift (this policy was interesting to me). If the patient will have surgery they are required a CHG bath beforehand.

When I floated to a new unit if it wasn’t reported I would either ask about the bath policy or just check in the chart. Some units were sticklers for baths so it was usually charted, but of course some people forget to chart & it seems like the patient hasn’t bathed for days.

[TheLastUnicorn]

This has literally never been a concern or issue that I've even thought of. The last thing I am worried about any of my patient's is when their last bath was. It's never a question I've asked or have been asked outside of LTC/SAR. I dont think we track it at all unless the family is throwing a fit about the patient not having had a bath; but usually that's because a patient is refusing and then telling their family how neglected they are. Our MAR's don't have a spot for tracking baths, unless it's on the PCT side of things or in ADLs.

If my patient is mostly independent or mostly independent; they will be offered a basin to wash up in, or they can ask for one. We'll set them up at the bedside to wash up. Help where needed. This applied to tele patient's as well. If they are not tele and if the rooms are equipped with a shower, and they are capable of showering themselves, they are allowed to take a shower. If the patient is a complete care; they are given a bath every night shift unless they refuse. Sometimes depending on how much staff is available and what is happening on the unit, they might miss a night. Typically every other night is common. Bed baths/complete baths happen on night shift. Otherwise the patient can clean up whenever they want.

In our facility ICU patient's get the CHG bath typically on night shift. It even comes up on our MAR for 6am but we sign of off at whatever time the we get around to actually bathing the patient. Most independent patient's either will do it themselves or refuse, but by that time they are downgraded so it doesn't even apply to them anymore.

[dream'n, BSN, RN]

At my old position on an Oncology/Med Surg floor, we kept a whiteboard at the nursing station that was color coded for patient's with PICCS, CLs, Ports. The baths of those patients were tracked and nursing was responsible to verify and note that they had received a bath that shift or the previous. If I remember correctly dayshift was even numbered rooms and nightshift was odd numbered rooms.