Abstract
This study aims to clarify the effect of partial bed bath using a disposable towel on the skin of elderly people. Both forearms of 27 community-dwelling elderly people aged 65 to 74 years were given a bed bath using a disposable towel and a cotton towel. The cleanliness, moisture content, pH, and temperatures of the skin were measured before and after the bed bath. In addition to these objective measurements, participants’ subjective feelings toward the towels were evaluated after the bed bath. The cleanliness and pH of the skin after the disposable-towel bed bath were almost equivalent to the measurements obtained after the cotton-towel bed bath. The moisture content of the skin was significantly higher after the disposable towel bed bath compared to the cotton-towel bed bath for 15 minutes after the bed bath (P＜0.01) . On the other hand, a greater decrease in skin temperature was observed after the disposable- towel bed bath (P＜0.01) .
This might be attributed to the presence of more water on the skin surface. As for the subjective evaluation, the “softness” and “tactile feeling” of the disposable towel were more excellent than the cotton towel (P＜0.05) . These results suggest that water on the skin should be sufficiently wiped off because heat loss by vaporization after the bed bath was higher when using a disposable towel.
