partial bed bath/gathering supplies

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When performing a partial bed bath, which of these are correct in terms of order?

A) clean arm first, hand second and clean the axillary(armpit) last

B) arm first, axillary (armpit) second and clean the hands last

Also, I know the chest needs cleaning, but do you clean the stomach also?

How many towels/hand towels are needed during partial bed bath?

The testing ppl are really strict about the how a student performs the procedure.

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In NC the answer is A. We do not have to wash the chest in a partial bed bath just the face and arm, armpit. I use two wash clothes and one towel. One of the wash clothes has soap and the other one doesn't. HTH! :) Oh and make sure when you are cleaning the hand you clean the fingers and in between the fingers.

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What state are you in?

If your in CA then its face, arm, hand, axilla

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That makes sense because you are always going to clean from the cleanest area to the dirtiest area.

That is universal no matter what state you are in.

I always find these posts about the state exams interesting, because they didn't exist back in ancient Roman times when I took the class ;)

Sincerely,

Old Fart

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Specializes in 6 yrs LTC, 1 yr MedSurg, Wound Care.

A lot of these things are common sense. If you take a second think about it, would you want to wash your hands with something you just cleaned your armpit with? Lol!

I'm not trying to be sarcastic, just wanted you to think about it. :)

A few more tips:

•If you do the face, remember to always do the eyes first. No soap. •Never put a used wash cloth back in the basin. •It never hurts to take more linen than you think you'll need. Be prepared.

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Wash the patient's face first. NO SOAP!! Clean Around eye area first going from corner to outside and don't forget to turn the washcloth with each stroke. Then clean the rest of the face. The you move onto the arm etc.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Oh jeesh… I've been doing this for 2 years and I can't believe I've forgotten how ridiculous these "procedures" are. lol

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Specializes in Geriatrics/home health care.
A lot of these things are common sense. If you take a second think about it, would you want to wash your hands with something you just cleaned your armpit with? Lol!

I'm not trying to be sarcastic, just wanted you to think about it. :)

A few more tips:

*If you do the face, remember to always do the eyes first. No soap. *Never put a used wash cloth back in the basin. *It never hurts to take more linen than you think you'll need. Be prepared.

I completely agree except for the "never put a used cloth back in the basin". Inbetween areas, we would rinse off and ring the wash cloth in my program. The water was the most important thing and we had to make sure it was warm and we changed it when it was cold and dirty or too soapy. We didn't have to use a different wash cloth for each part in our program or part of the test(in california).

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