Washing and personal hygiene
The purpose of this abstract is to gather knowledge that nursing personnel can use in clinical and policy work to optimize services related to washing and personal hygiene of patients. The analyses are based on the following questions: How should washing and assisting with personal hygiene be done, how has washing and assisting with personal hygiene been done and experienced, and how it can be that services related to washing and personal hygiene be the way they are?
Washing and personal hygiene of the entire body
Contemporary norms for what one should look and smell like arose during the industrialisation and democratisation of Western societies in the second half of the 19th century. In modern society, there has been an expectation that people are clean, well-groomed and smell good at the lowest possible cost to the wider society. In this context, it has been argued that showering is more affordable than bathing in a bathtub. In current nursing textbooks, it has been argued that washing and personal hygiene should be based on the bathing habits of the person in need of care.
Studies show that patients who are used to having baths may not be accommodated, as bathtubs have been removed from nursing homes. The same applies for those who are used to showering daily. It may take 14 days between each time the patient receives help to shower because showering takes longer than washing individual body parts. Neither patients nor nurses are enthusiastic about robotic bathing, and robotic bathing does not seem to make bathing more efficient. People with dementia may prefer towel baths to showering.
Washing and personal hygiene of individual body parts
When modern nursing arose in Norway in the second half of the 19th century, it was considered sufficient to wash and care for visible parts of the patient’s body daily. Other parts of the body could be washed in the event of exuding body fluids and the like. In 1911, the first textbook was published that argued for daily washing and assisting with personal hygiene of both visible and covered body parts. In current nursing textbooks, it has been argued that washing and personal hygiene should be based on the bathing habits of the person in need of care. Studies show that patients’ established bathing habits may not be accommodated in nursing homes. Nursing home residents who are used to washing their hair and feet every week often need to wait 14 days before such body parts are washed. There are differing opinions about disposable cleaning wipes. Patients usually prefer being washed with soap and water, but disposable cleaning wipes can be practical when one has a lot of pain, diarrhoea or in need of a quick wash.