My first bed bath!!

APBT mom, LPN, RN · Feb 8, 2008

Hi I will be starting clinicals the first week of feb! does anyone have any tips or advice on how to make a patient feel comfortable for bed baths??? or any tips when u did ur first patient bed bath? how long did it take you? or how to get over my fear of giving one? thanks
jackie

Just talk to them while you're doing it. Ask them where there from, if they have kids/grandkids.... Make sure that you only uncover what area you're washing. If they can have them wash what they can reach and you do the rest. Like other posts have said pretend you've done it a million times. Grab more supplies (lots of washclothes and towels) than you'll need. Sometimes as soon as you finish giving the bath/while your doing it the patient may urinate or have a bowel movement so it's easier and quicker to bring more supplies than having to run out of the room and get more. Ask them if they want their hair washed because some people don't want a wet head while laying in a cold hospital room (hospital I'm at now has waterless shower caps but I don't know how well they work I want to test one out).

I can't remember how long my first bed bath took. We use to partner up and each student would take one side of the patient or pass supplies/get something we forgot so it went faster. With two people and no bodily functions happening 10 mins tops. By myself after doing a few with a partner 10 mins at most.

The first few you do your going to be more worried about doing it the way you were taught, like making that mitt with the washcloth (which I will never figure out) than how long it takes because even if you finished in two mins it would still feel like 4 hours. Remember to let them do as much as they can because you want them to be independent as much as possile.

Good luck and you'll do fine.

deeDawntee, RN · Feb 8, 2008

Just remember that they are (almost always) REALLY going to appreciate it! They feel grubby and itchy (probably) from lying on the sheets with no fabric softener. I spend extra time on the hands and the back because I think it really feels good to people. I do most of my peri-care from behind and that way it is less intimidating to you and the patient. That way you are moving the dirt from front to back so it works for hygienic purposes as well. A nice lotion rub afterwards, maybe a little powder, nice clean linens and they will think you are the best nurse ever!!

4rom2bRN · Feb 17, 2008

I remember my first bed bath. Looking back, it was kinda of funny.

I was nervous, my patient was an older male. I made sure I had everything in hand. Lots of washcloth, very warm water, soap, and lotion.

I proceeded with the bed bath. Making sure I didn't miss any part of his body. I combed his hair, brush his teeth. Than, I lotioned him all over.

My instructor comes in, and she whispers to me.

"You are giving him a bed bath, you are not here to try to give him a happy ending"

I didn't get it at first, until my instructor pointed towards him.

Needless to say, I was embarassed. My instructor was not happy. As a matter of fact, post conference she tells us that we are not there to give clients massages. And it should not take over thirty minutes to give a bed bath. Oops. :bugeyes:

She was my favorite instructor. My first year in the nursing program was wonderful. I hope you will have a wonderful experience.

Good Luck

True Story!

ostomyrn2b09 · Feb 17, 2008

Hi everyone thanks so much for all of your great input!! I finally did it!!! I was so proud of myself!! It wasn't as bad as I thought!! Yea it was uncomfortable at first, but the patients really do appreciate it!!! You just have to suck it up and do it!! It is sad when patients can't bathe themselves due to a disease, decreased mental status, etc, they lose their privacy and it is our job as soon to be nurses to give them the best care! I love clinical!!!

jackie

Silverserene · Mar 6, 2009

I just gave my first bedbath two days ago and it wasn't too bad. It helped that my instructor did not watch me perform the actual bedbath, she just made sure I had my supplies ready to go. In my case I didn't talk to my pt because of a language barrier. I had a middle-aged male pt so I was a little nervous about that. I did mess up on a lot of things such as not having enough supplies (I had to run back and forth to get stuff, hard because he was on contact precautions and i had to gear up every time I came back), grabbing a gown but not pants or socks, and spilling water. I was also having a hard time figuring out how to wash the other side of his body when the basin was on the overhead table on one side of the bed. I ended up washing down one side of the body then moving the basin onto the otherside of the bed to finish down that side of the body. I washed his back and in the end I gave him cloths for him to clean his genital area. I was really afraid of hurting him ( he had pigtail drainage at two sites around his abs) and the whole time I kept thinking "did i miss any soapy areas?" I helped him get into his gown, put all his linens in the soiled linen bags and asked if he needed anything else. He told me that he wanted pants and I told him I would get them after I was done cleaning up. I finally finished in about 1 hour! I was so warm and slightly sweaty afterwards that my gloves were sticking.

I felt good about not screwing up too badly and two hours later as I was waiting for my group to leave clinicals for the day I jumped up and said "oh shoot! I forgot his pants!" (everyone laughed at me) and ran back to the pt's room to apologize and handed him a pair of pants before I left.

When I got home I realized "oh shoot! I forgot his socks!"

Cat in TX · Mar 7, 2009

Thank you so much, everyone, for all of this advice and info. I start nursing school this summer. It is so much easier to handle difficult situations when you "know it is coming" and can already have a strategy in mind.

cjcsoon2bnp, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 7, 2009

I'm also in my first clinical so I know where your coming from but as a CNA I have given a lot of bed baths before so I'm not worried about that but I do remember during CNA training when I gave my first bed bath I was wicked nervous. Here are some tips:

-- Get all of your supplies ready before hand and be prepared with a bit off extra just in case. I can't tell you how many times I've gone and done a complete bed bath and the patient is all nice and clean and then they have to use the bathroom and we have to start all over again so be prepared with a bit of extra supplies ahead of time.

-- Explain to the patient what your doing ahead of time and then just do the bath step by step.

-- Try to keep the patient covered when your not bathing a certain part of them and just try to be efficient but timely because the first few times you do a bed bath you always take WAY too long to do it and the water in the basin usually gets cold fairly quickly. Just keep move through it step by step and you will be fine.

-- Its been my experience that most people don't like small talk while your doing this but you need to read the person. If they start trying to chat while your doing it then by all means chat along. But keep in mind your not trying to break the ice at a cocktail party, your giving someone a bath and for many people they are embarrassed to require help doing this and sometimes they just like you to quietly and quickly move through the process while giving them respect. You need to read your patient and see what their preferences are and act accordingly.

-- Make sure to have them check the water temp. and offer good back care while your doing the bed bath. This needs to seem less like you are bathing them (like you bathe a child) and more like a nice cleanup and back massage for comfort and to improve circulation.

-- Try to have the patient help you do as much of the bath as possible. Most people can wash their own face and hands and they will want to wash their perineal area themselves if its possible.

-- Little touches help too, I always put my container of lotion into a small container of warm water to help warm the lotion up before I put it on and I remember to put it on the most important places such as hands, elbows, knees, feet, backs and bottoms. Also once you have done the main components of the bath remember things like brushing your patients hair along with cleaning and filing their nails. A sign of good patient care in LTC is a patient with nicely combed, clean hair and clean, rounded nails that aren't jagged.

-- I'm assuming that you are in LTC if your doing bed baths for the first time, keep in mind that bed baths can be a really great way to help make someone clean and comfortable and a good way to assess a patients skin condition and body at the same time. When looking at the skin your looking for the LBLs (lumps, bumps and lesions) as well as any signs of inflammation, edema and circulation issues.

-- I would also say that once your all done washing and drying it is a good time to do some basic range of motion exercises especially if they are bed bound.

Good luck!

!Chris :specs: