Hygiene
What is Hygiene?
1. Practices that promote health through personal cleanliness. People foster hygiene
through activities such as bathing, performing oral care, cleaning and maintaining
fingernails and toenails, and shampooing and grooming hair.
2. Hygiene also applies to the care and maintenance of devices such as eyeglasses and
hearing aids to ensure continued and proper function.
What is bathing?
1. Hygiene practice in which a person uses a cleansing agent such as soap and water to
remove sweat, oil, dirt, and microorganisms from the skin.
2. Bed Bath Means cleaning Patients Body from Head to toe, or Removing of dirt and
Promoting Skin Care and Promote Personal hygiene
What are the purpose of bathing?
Eliminating body odor, reducing the potential for infection, Stimulating circulation of Skin,
Providing a refreshed feeling, Improving self-image, to remove accumulated waste products and
dirt from the skin, to observe and to detect abnormalities, to promote relaxation and comfort
What are the Types of Bed Bath?
1. Partial Bed Bath: washing only those body areas subject to greatest soiling or that are
sources of body odor: generally the face, hands, axillae, and perineal area. Partial bathing
is done at a sink or with a basin at the bedside. Sometimes the perineum, the area around
the genitals and rectum, requires special or frequent cleansing.
2. Complete Bed Bath: During a bed bath (washing with a basin of water at the bedside),
the client may actively assist with some aspects of bathing
3. Towel Bath: With a towel bath, the nurse uses a single large towel to cover and wash a
client. It requires a towel or bath sheet measuring 3 × 7.5 feet but no basin or soap. The
nurse prefolds and moistens the towel or bath sheet with approximately one-half gallon
(2 L) of water heated to 105° to 110°F (40° to 43°C) and 1 ounce (30 mL) of norinse liquid
cleanser. He or she unfolds the towel so that it covers the client (Fig. 17-4) and uses a
separate section to wipe each part of the body, beginning at the feet and moving upward.
The nurse folds the soiled areas of the towel to the inside as he or she bathes each area
and allows the skin to air-dry for 2 to 3 seconds. After washing the front of the body, the
nurse positions the client on the side and repeats the procedure. He or she unfolds the
towel so that the clean surface covers the client. The nurse bathes the client’s back, then
the buttocks. When the towel bath is complete, the nurse changes the bed linen.
4. Tub Bath: If the safety risks are negligible and there are no contraindications, the nurse
encourages clients to bathe independently in a tub or shower. Most hospitals and nursing
homes equip bathing facilities with various rails and handles to promote client safety.
5. Bag Bath: involves the use of a commercially packaged kit with 8 to 10 premoistened,
disposable cloths in a plastic bag or container and is another form of a bed bath. The
cloths contain a no-rinse surfactant (a substance that reduces surface tension between
the skin and surface contaminants) and an emollient/humectant.
What are the types of bath for Clients who cannot take a tub bath or shower independently?
Bed bath, Towel bath, Bag bath
What is Oral hygiene?
1. Consists of those practices used to clean the mouth, especially brushing and flossing the
teeth., Dentures and bridges also require special cleaning and care. Most dentists
recommend using a soft-bristled or electric toothbrush and toothpaste twice a day.
2. Flossing removes plaque and food debris from the surfaces of teeth that a manual or
electric toothbrush may miss.
What are the requirements of Tooth Brushing and Flossing?
Clients who are alert and physically capable generally attend to their own oral hygiene. For
clients confined to bed, the nurse assembles the necessary items—a toothbrush, toothpaste, a
glass of water, an emesis basin, and floss.
How to take care of Dentures (artificial teeth)?
1. Cleans with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and cold or tepid water. The nurse takes care to
hold dentures over a plastic basin or towel so they will not break if dropped.
2. Dentists recommend that dentures and bridges remain in place except during cleaning. If
a nurse removes a client’s bridge or dentures during the night, he or she stores them in a
covered cup.
3. Plain water is used most often to cover dentures when they are not in the mouth, but
some add mouthwash or denture cleanser to the water.
What are the procedure of Oral Care for Unconscious Clients?
1. Oral hygiene is not neglected because a client is unconscious. In fact, because unconscious
clients are not salivating in response to seeing, smelling, and eating food, they need oral
care even more frequently than conscious clients.
2. Tooth-brushing is the preferred technique for providing oral hygiene to unconscious
clients. Clients who are not alert, however, are at risk for aspirating (inhaling) saliva and
liquid oral hygiene products into their lungs. Aspirated liquids predispose clients to
pneumonia. Therefore, the nurse uses special precautions to avoid getting fluid in the
client’s airway.
3. In addition to tooth-brushing, the nurse moistens and refreshes the client’s mouth with
oral swabs. He or she uses various substances for oral hygiene depending on the
circumstances and assessment findings for each client
What are the Recommendation for hair grooming?
1. Try to use a hairstyle the client prefers.
2. Brush the hair slowly and carefully to avoid damaging it.
3. Brush the hair to increase circulation and distribution of sebum.
4. Use a wide-toothed comb, starting at the ends of the hair rather than from the crown
downward if the hair is matted or tangled.
5. Apply a conditioner or alcohol to loosen tangles.
6. Use oil on the hair if it is dry. Many preparations are available, but pure castor oil, olive
oil, and mineral oil are satisfactory.
7. Braid the hair to help prevent tangles.
8. If hair loss occurs from cancer therapy or some other disease or medical treatment,
provide the client with a turban or baseball cap.
9. Avoid using hairpins or clips that may injure the scalp.
10.Obtain the client’s or family’s permission before cutting the hair if it is hopelessly tangled
and cutting seems to be the only solution to provide adequate grooming.
What are the recommendation of Hair Shampooing?
1. Hair should be washed as often as necessary to keep it clean. A weekly shampoo is
sufficient for most people, but shampooing more or less often will not damage the hair.
2. Long-term health care facilities often employ beauticians and barbers, but if professional
services are unavailable, the nurse or delegated nursing staff member shampoos the
client’s hair. Dry shampoos, which are applied to the hair as a powder, aerosol spray, or
foam, are available for occasional use. The nurse applies the cleaning agent to the hair,
massages it thoroughly to distribute, and brushes or towels it from the hair afterward.
What are the recommendation for Nail care?
1. Involves keeping the fingernails and toenails clean and trimmed. Clients who have
diabetes, impaired circulation, or thick nails are at risk for vascular complications
secondary to trauma. It is best to check with the client’s physician before cutting
fingernails or toenails.
2. To keep the skin and nails soft, the nurse applies lotion or an emollient cream after
bathing and nail care. If foot perspiration is a problem, he or she uses a prescribed
antifungal, deodorant powder. Because impaired skin, especially on the feet, is often slow
to heal and susceptible to infection, the nurse reports any abnormal assessment findings
immediately. To avoid injuring the feet, clients should wear sturdy slippers or clean socks
and supportive shoes