Which bath is better? Evaluating comfort and vital signs in pediatric intensive care unit: A quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND

Bathing cleanses the skin, and the wiping and scrubbing movements during bathing stimulate blood circulation and help oxygenate tissues. There are two types of baths commonly used in intensive care: the traditional bath is washing the child with running water in the bed, and the wiping bathis wiping the child with warm, damp cloths. We planned this study to determine the effect of traditional and wiping baths on vital parameters (pulse rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, body temperature, mean blood pressure) and comfort of children in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

METHODS

In this quasi-experimental prospective study, there were two groups, the traditional bath group (n = 28) and the wiping bath group (n = 26).Comfort levels and vital signs were measured just before and 5 min after the bathing.

FINDINGS: We found that the mean blood pressure of the wiping bath group was higher.The pulse rate and body temperature in the wiping bath group decreased significantly after the bath.No significant differences were found in other vital parameters.Those in the traditional bathing group were 4.929 times more comfortable than those in the wiping bath group.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that while traditional bathing increases comfort in pediatric intensive care patients, wiping bathing decreases comfort and creates different effects on some vital parameters.Based on the results, nurses may decide on the type of bath to choose for children.

IMPLICATIONS TO PRACTICE: It is recommended that nurses incorporate traditional bathing into routine care practices as long as the child's clinical condition permits.