COMPLETE BED BATH

Good day everyone, I am Yeesha P. Balmes, a first-year nursing student at Davao Doctors College and
today, I will be doing a return demonstration on providing your patient a complete bed bath. A bed bath
cleans the skin and helps keep the skin free of infection. It helps the patient to relax and it also helps him
feel better. The purpose of this bed bath is to remove transient microorganisms, body secretions and
excretions, and dead skin cells, to stimulate circulation to the skin, to promote a sense of well-being, to
produce relaxation and comfort, and to prevent and eliminate unpleasant body odors.

Prior to the procedure, make sure to do the proper hand hygiene. Hand hygiene prevents the spread of
microorganisms to both the health care provider and the patient.

Gather the supplies needed. This will promote a better time management. The equipments that we will
be needing includes a basin with warm water, soap and soap dish, a bath blanket, 2 bath towels, wash
cloth, clean gown or clothes, additional bed linen and towels, personal hygiene equipments such as
lotion and deodorant.

Introduce yourself, verify client’s identity by asking him his full name and birthdate. Explain to them
what you are going to do, how you are going to do it, and how they can participate to the procedure.
After that, do a head to toe assessment so that we will be able to know or identify some risk that might
affect the patient. Since our patient’s skin is getting exposed in the procedure, remember to provide
privacy.

“Good morning Ma’am. I am Yeesha P. Balmes and I will be your student nurse from 11am to
5pm. Can you state your name and date of birth, please? Thank you very much. Today ma’am, I will be
doing a complete bed bath on you. This will help you relax and this will add more comfort to you. I am
just going to thoroughly clean your skin using a washcloth. Is that all right with you? (tubag) Before I will
bathe you, I am going to do a quick assessment in order for me to find some potential risk that might
affect your health. I am just going to close the curtains for us to provide you with privacy.” – to the
patient (MAGWEAR UG GLOVES)

“The first thing we need to assess the patient’s physical or emotional factors, this includes
fatigue, fear, sensitivity to cold and the like. The next thing that we are going to assess is the condition of
the skin. This includes the skin color, texture, turgor, presence of spots and lesions, and also temperature.
We also need to assess the patient’s range of motion particularly in the joints. Also, we need to check any
other aspect of health that might affect the patient’s bathing process. This includes their mobility,
strength, cognition, and the like.” – explanation while assessing

Offer the bedpan or urinal and ask the patient if they want to void

“Ma’am do you feel the need to void?”

Raise the bed to a convenient working height and lower the side rails near you.

Assist the patient to the side of the bed

Place the bath blanket over the patient and remove the soiled top sheet beneath and place it into the
hamper. If the bed linen is to be reused, place it to the bedside chair. If it needs to be changed, place it to
the hamper, not the floor.

Remove the patient’s gown. If they have an intravenous line, injury, or reduced mobility, begin on the
unaffected side.

Make a bath mitt with the wash cloth. A bath mitt retains water and heat better than a cloth loosely held
and it also prevents the ends of the washcloth from dragging across the skin.

Fill the basin with 2/3 full of warm water (43 – 46 C or 109.4 – 114.8 F). Check the temperature of the
water.

Let you patient check the temperature of the water and make sure that the patient can tolerate it.

Remove the patient’s pillow if the patient’s condition allows and raises the head of the bed to 30-45
degrees.

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 Wash the face. “We need to begin the bath at the cleanest area and work ourway downward to
the feet. Since our face is the cleanest area, we will start here.”

Place the towel appropriately. (First towel: under the patient’s head; Second towel: over the
patient’s chest)

Wash the client’s eyes with water only and dry them well. Use a separate corner of the
washcloth for each eye. Start from the inner to the outer canthus. Using a separate corner prevents the
transmission of microorganisms from one eye to another. Ask if the patient wants soap to be used on
the face. “Ma’am, do you want soap to be used on your face?”

Wash, rinse, and dry the client’s face, ears, and neck.

If you have a male client, ask them if they’d like to have a shave

 Wash the arms and hands

Expose the patient’s forearm and place the bath towel lengthwise beneath the arm.

Wash, soap, rinse, and dry the arm by elevating the patient’s arm and supporting the client’s
wrist and elbow. then cover the arm and axillae. Wash it in a distal to proximal manner. This means that
we will start washing from the part farthest from the axillae and work its way toward the axillae. Firm
strokes from the distal to the proximal areas promote circulation by increasing the venous blood return.

Wet, soap, rinse, and dry the hands and nails.

Do the same thing on the other side.

 Wash the chest and abdomen.

Lift the bath towel off the chest, and bathe the chest and abdomen with your mitted
hand using a long, firm stokes. Give special attention to the skin under the breast and any other
skinfolds, particularly if the client is overweight. Rinse and dry well.

If you have female patients, cleanse and dry the skin beneath the breast

Check and change the water if necessary.

Drape the patient’s chest and abdomen using a towel and a bath blanket.

 Wash the leg and feet

Expose the patient’s leg farthest from you by folding the bath blanket towards the other
leg, be careful and keep the perineum covered and place the towel lengthwise under the leg.

Wash, soap, rinse, and dry the patient’s farther leg (still in a distal to proximal manner)

Wash and dry the patient’s foot thoroughly. Apply lotion to the foot.

Reverse the covering and repeat for the other leg.

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Discard wash cloth and maintain the client’s privacy.

Refill the basin with clean water

Change the gloves into a new clean pair and apply perineal care as necessary

Change the water and apply a clean pair of gloves

Wash the back

Assist the patient into a prone or side-lying position facing away from you. Place the bath towel
lengthwise alongside the back and buttocks while keeping the patient covered with the bath blanket as
much as possible.

Wash and dry the client’s back, moving from the shoulders to the buttocks, and upper thighs,
paying attention to the gluteal folds.

If the patient’s skin is intact, remove and discard gloves if used.

Perform a back massage now or after the completion of the bath.

Help the client put on a new gown and check the devices attached to the patient if there are any.

Comb the hair properly

Place the signal device near the patient and do the after care equipment
Perform hand hygiene and assess the patient after the procedure

Perform documentation such as the type of bath given, skin lesions and abrasions, educational needs
regarding hygiene, ability of the patient to assist and participate with bathing, and nursing interventions
related to skin integrity. Reports for any pertinent observations.