By promoting personal hygiene and improving comfort, bed baths can decrease the risk of infection and help maintain skin integrity in critically ill patients. Current bed-bathing practices commonly involve the use of either soap and water (SAW) or disposable wipes (DWs). Previous research has shown both bed-bathing methods are equally effective in removing dirt, oil, and microorganisms. This experimental study compared the cost, staff satisfaction, and effects of two bed-bathing practices on critically ill patients' vital signs. We randomly assigned 138 participants into 2 groups: an experimental group that received bed baths using DWs and a control group that received bed baths using SAW. We compared the bath duration, cost, vital sign trends, and nursing staff satisfaction between the two groups. We used the chi-square test and t-test for the statistical analysis, and we expressed the quantitative data as mean and standard deviation. Our results showed the bed baths using DWs had a shorter duration and lower cost than those using SAW. There were no significant differences in the vital sign trends between the two groups. The nursing staff preferred to use DWs over SAW. This study can help clinical nursing staff decide which method to use when assisting patients with bed baths.
Keywords: bed bath; cost; critical illness; disposable wipes; soap and water.