Aretha Oliveira
National Cancer Institute, Brazil
Title: Bedbath in Intensive Care Unit: Implications to nursing care
Biography
Biography: Aretha Oliveira
Abstract
The hospital environment aims at care for people with health disorders, who have specific needs. This service is delivered by professionals in various sectors within specific health units. Seriously ill patients need more specialized environments, which can guarantee the preservation of vital organ functioning and maintained clinical stability. In Brazil, two techniques to perform the bedbath are normally used: the traditional bath, using water and soap, and, in smaller scale, the disposable bath. Regardless the technique used, it is necessary to turn the patient from side to side to perform the complete body hygiene, and this is a possible way to modify the patients hemodynamic and ventilation, besides increasing the energetic metabolism and glucose consumption. When we analyze special populations, like cardiological and oncological patients, it is possible to notice that despite the mobilizations, there is no substantial effect on the hemodynamic state, as we can see in some studies developed by our research group. More recently, it was demonstrated that this procedure can reduce blood glucose analyzed by the arterial blood before and after the bath. These data are crucial for nursing care, supporting decision-making and patient evaluation during the procedure, rendering a safer nursing care.