Bathing and Skin Care Principles Quiz for Healthcare Professionals

Bathing and Skin Care Principles

• Basic principles of bathing and skin care include assessing skin integrity, providing privacy, maintaining warmth, promoting independence, and practicing infection control.
• During bath time, various assessments can be completed, including skin, nose, hair, mouth, eyes, nails, ears, feet, mobility, and cognition.
• Hair and shaving care involve shampooing, brushing and combing hair, and shaving, which should be done with gloves and proper equipment.
• Care for the eyes, ears, and nose includes specific techniques for cleaning and hygiene.
• Risk factors for impaired skin integrity include immobilization, reduced sensation, nutrition and hydration alterations, secretions and excretions on the skin, vascular insufficiency, and external devices.
• Foot care involves washing and soaking feet daily, drying thoroughly, applying lotion, cleaning under toenails, and trimming toenails.
• Nail care includes soaking fingers, cleaning under nails, trimming nails, shaping nails, and pushing cuticles back gently.
• Risk factors for feet and nails include peripheral vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and other diseases affecting peripheral circulation and sensation.
• Inspection and daily foot care can help prevent foot ulcerations, which are a predisposing factor for lower extremity amputation in individuals with diabetes mellitus.
• Assessing for neuropathy is important for individuals with diabetes mellitus, as it can lead to a loss of sensation and injury.
• A back rub can promote relaxation, relieve muscular tension, stimulate circulation, improve sleep, reduce blood pressure, decrease anxiety and depression, and enhance comfort.
• Guidelines for changing clothing include providing hand hygiene and privacy, encouraging the client to do as much as possible, allowing the client to choose what to wear, supporting the limbs when removing or putting on a garment, and putting clothing on the affected side first.

Personal Hygiene and Nursing Care Considerations

• The text discusses various tasks related to personal hygiene, such as bed baths, shower assistance, back massages, hair care, shaving, nail care, and oral hygiene for unconscious patients.
• It emphasizes the importance of hygiene for a person and the risks associated with neglecting hygiene maintenance.
• Factors influencing personal hygiene include social practices, physical limitations, body image, health beliefs, and cultural variables.
• When assessing personal care and hygiene, considerations include self-care ability, hygiene practices, sensory aids, and cultural factors.
• Risks for unmet hygiene needs are highlighted, such as tracheostomies, skin drains, chewing and swallowing difficulty, and reduced physical energy.
• Universal nursing approaches to providing hygiene care include building the therapeutic nurse-client relationship, supporting client preferences, and ensuring privacy, confidentiality, and physical safety.
• Developing the therapeutic nurse-client relationship during hygiene assistance is stressed, emphasizing sensitivity, respect, and professionalism.
• Privacy and confidentiality during hygiene care involve maintaining dignity, minimizing exposure, and using a "Do Not Disturb" sign if available.
• Infection control measures during hygiene care include determining PPE requirements, sanitizing wash basins, and moving from cleanest to dirtiest body parts.
• Safety considerations during hygiene care involve raising the bed to an appropriate level, obtaining assistance if needed, and checking water temperature before use.
• The text outlines general types of baths, such as complete bed baths, self-help bed baths, partial bed baths, tub baths, and shower baths, as well as considerations for preparing for the bath.
• Specific considerations for bathing patients diagnosed with dementia are provided, including identifying bathing preferences, minimizing distress, and using distraction and negotiations instead of demands.