Bath in conventional bed with Bag Bath®: case-control microbiological and cost

Abstract

The bed bath is considered the simpler procedure and routine nursing being done based on the degree of partial or total dependency of patients. Literature data and daily practice of the nurse point to a decline in the quality of the bed bath by misuse of the technique, facilitating the appearing of skin infections and soft tissues. The American Nurse Susan M. Skewes developed an alternative method of bed bath (Bag Bath®) that excludes the use of basins, buckets, soap, bath gloves, rinse and towel, promoting more hydrated skin with less prone to infections and with faster healing, decreasing spent nursing time and the number of skin infections and soft tissues. This method consists of eight pre-moistened cotton compress with surfactants and innocuous to the skin, forskin cleansing and hydrationof bedridden patients. Compresses can be applied at ambient temperature or warmed in microwave oven for thirty seconds or water bath. Each pad is used in a part of the body and then discarded, thereby minimizing cross-infection between different parts of the body. The objective of this research is to compare the conventional bed bath technique with Bag Bath® technique in dependent patients in the nursing staff, nursing in neurology / neurosurgery, HC- FMB - UNESP, to compare the techniques regarding: 1) money, nursing spent time and patients time of stay according to each technique; 2) pictures of skin infection and soft tissues and major microorganisms found in infected patients. (AU)