Bed bath

• Early morning care


  1. Nursing personnel on the night shift provide basic hygiene to patients getting ready for breakfast, scheduled tests, or early morning surgery

  2. 'AM Care' includes offering a bedpan or urinal if the patient is not ambulatory, washing the patient's hands and face, and helping with oral care
• Routine morning care


  1. After breakfast help by offering bedpan or urinal to patients confined to bed

  2. Provide a full or partial bath or shower, including perineal care and oral, foot, nail, and hair care

  3. Change a patient's gown, bed linens

  4. Often referred to "Complete AM Care"
• Afternoon care


  1. Hospitalized patients often undergo many exhausting diagnostic test or procedures in the morning

  2. Afternoon hygiene care includes washing the hands and face, helping with oral care, offering a bedpan or urinal, and straightening bed linen
• Evening, or hour-before-sleep, care (PM care)


  1. Before bedtime offer personal hygiene care that helps patients relax and promotes sleep

  2. Includes changing soiled linens, gowns, helping patients wash the face and hands, providing oral hygiene and giving a back massage
• Types of baths

  • Complete bed bath: Bath administered to totally dependent patient in bed
  • Partial bed bath: Bed bath that consists of bathing only body parts that would cause discomfort if left unbathed such as the hands, face, axillae and perineal care
  • Sponge bath at the sink: Involves bathing from a bath basin or sink with patient sitting in a chair
  • Tub bath: Involves immersion in a tub of water that allows more thorough washing and rinsing than a bed bath
  • Shower: Patient sits or stands under a continuous stream of water
  • Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) bath: This antimicrobial bath wipe is used to decrease the frequency of hospital-acquired infections