BED BATH

Bed bath is one of the basic nursing procedures. Bed bath means bathing a client who is bedridden and those who does not have the physical and mental capability of self bathing.

INDICATIONS OF BED BATHING:

·         Plaster casts and Traction Patient

·         Paralysis patient

·         Unconscious

·         Strict bed rest patient

·         Handicapped

·         Surgical patient.

·         Fever patient

Purpose:

There are a lot of benefits for bed bath. They are as follows:

·         To prevent  infections

·         To prevent bedsore

·         To provide good hygiene

·         To regulate and maintain body temperature

·         To provide comfort to the patients

·         To  induce sleep

·         To relieve fatigue

·         To increase elimination through the skin

·         To stimulate circulation

·         To observe objective symptoms

·         To provide active and passive exercises

THINGS TO REMEMBER BEFORE GIVING BED BATH

·         Provide privacy to the patients or clients by means of curtains and screens

·         Do hand washing well.

·         Explain the procedure to the clients and their family member.

·         Keep all necessary articles which are needed for the procedure should be on  or near patient table

·         Do procedure carefully and neatly.

·         Cut the nail if it is long.

·         Cleaning is done from the cleanest area to  the  less clean area

·         The temperature of the water is adjusted for the comfort of the client and the water should be charged at regular intervals. The temperature of sponge bath should be 43.3 to 46.1˚C   or 110 to 115˚F.

·         Use soap which contains less alkali.

·         Special attention is given to axillae and groins to prevent disagreeable body odours.

·         Check whether the client has taken the meal in the previous 1 hour.

·         Move the unnecessary items from  the work area

·         Provide bedpan or urinals if necessary

·         Make a mitten:  See below how to make mitten

STEP ONE – Take a clean towel.

STEP TWO- Fold it from left edge to right edge around your fingers as shown in pic

STEP THREE-Fold it from right to left

STEP FOUR- Fold bottom part to palm and hold with thumb. See the pic below. You can understand easily.

ARTICLES   NEEDED FOR BED BATH

Articles	Quantity	purpose
Bath basin	1	To take water for bed bath
Small bowl	1	To keep the sponge cloth separately that is used for putting the soap
Soap with soap dish	1	To clean the dirt. Remember to use  less alkaline soap
Wash clothes	2	One to apply soap .other to clean the skin
Bath towels	2	One to protect the bed and other to dry the skin
Face towel	1-optional	To dry the face
Bath blanket or sheet	1	To cover the client
Methylated spirit and power	1	To treat the pressure sore
Nail cutter	1	To cut short nail
Comb and oil	1	To  clean the hair
Kidney tray and paper bag	2	To collect the wastes
Jugs	2	To keep hot and cold water
Bucket	1	To discard the waste water, when water is changed in between
Laundry bag or bucket	1	To discard the soiled linen

PROCEDURES OF BED BATH

Step 1-      Wash your hand neatly with soap and tap water

Step 2-      Take the bucket and mix hot and cold water together. Take the water to the basin

Step 3-       wash face, neck, arms, palm, chest, abdomen, back, leg, ankle and pubic area

                    Then Dry the said areas using a clean towel

Step 4-       Apply soap to mitten and apply that mitten to face, neck and both ears.then keep the mitten            

                     to the small bowl

Steps 5-        Make another mitten with a towel. The mitten should be wet. Keep the area where soap   

                      applied. Make sure the areas are cleaned well.

Step 6-         Take the face towel and dry the face and neck

Step 7          Repeat the same procedure to Arms .But in arms, clean Axilla area .Use the mitten to clean these    

                      areas.

Step 8.         Keep the arms over the basin and cut short nails. Do same to legs too

Step 9-        Place one corner of the bath towel over one shoulder and the opposite corner folded back and     

                     placed on the other shoulder. Both corners are fixed under the back of the client. Fold bath blanket

                     down to the level of the umbilicus

Step 10-     Raise the towel with left hand and right hand mitted, clean the chest as before. Remember to wash   

                     under the breast of female patients

Step 11-     Clean and dry the abdomen well.

Step 12.      Discard the water to the next bucket and pour water to the basin again. Turn the patient to prone  

                     position .Fold backs the blanket from the shoulder   to back. and thighs.

Step 13.       Wash and dry from shoulder to buttocks with same method. After drying, massage the back with

                     Methylated spirit and powder to avoid the bedsore.

Step 14-      Cover the upper body of the client with a new blanket and wash and dry the legs and knee joint.

Step 15-     Change the water- as we did before. Pour the new water to basin. Take the soapy mitten .wash the   

                    pubic region. Clean the area with water and other mitten. Make sure the soap is cleaned from the  

                    skin. Dry with towel. Cover the patient with blanket .