this video shows how to bathe patients with 2% chlorexidine gluconate cloths chlorexidine gluconate or chg will replace regular soap and water bathing on your unit in this video we will show you how to approach patients to begin a bath how to give a bath with CHD cloths and review some commonly asked questions your positive attitude is one of the best ways to get your patient to bathe remember that daily bathing will help protect your patient from infection during their Hospital stay here are some examples of what you can say to get your patients to bathe patients often feel too tired to bathe on their admission day however this is the most important day to start protecting them before all their tests and procedures hi Mr Smith I'm Molly your nursing assistant are you ready for your bath you know I'm really tired I've been through so many tests today you must be tired the first day in the hospital is often the busiest but it's also one of the most important days to get a bath we have many normal germs on our skin and we want to start your hospitalization off right and get your skin as germ free as possible this will protect you during your stay here well I don't know well you know the bath will only take about 10 minutes it'll make you feel so much better and I'll help you okay you're right I will feel much better after a bath another common situation involves patients who are scared of bathing because of their wounds or devices hello Mrs Jones my name is Grace and I'll be your nursing assistant today are you ready for your bath well I don't know I have this IB and a wound on my back don't worry we do this all the time and in fact because of your lines and wound it's especially important to take a bath to keep the germs away I'll help you to get those hardto reach areas so you can see how it's done especially around those lines and tubes you could just stay in your bed we'll do a bed bath that would be great to bathe a patient all you need are 2% chg cloths a towel to cover Exposed Skin and a trash can for throwing away used 2% cloths do not flush cloths down the toilet the CHD cloths can be used at room temperature or warmed for patient comfort in the provided warmers the cloths should be warmed for 2 hours before use and can stay in the warmer up to 84 hours before they should be thrown away to ensure the cloths stay warm for the bat remove them right before use lights on the warmer show which cloths are ready for use the yellow light means these cloths are not fully warmed the green ready light means these cloths are ready to be used flashing green means that the cloths have been in the warmer for 48 hours and should be used first the red light means that these cloths have been in the warmer for more than 84 hours and should not be used these claws should be thrown away since chg activity has only been confirmed for up to 84 hours of warming each time you remove a package the time will set the chg cloths come in a set of three packages each package has two cloths for a total of six cloths for most patients this will be enough cloths for bathing the whole body you may need more cloths for bathing large or obese patients for incontinence episodes or because patients may be sweaty and would like to freshen up if you want to warm and use additional packets separately open the set and place each package of two cloths into its own slot in the warmer throw away any unused cloths taken from the warmer do not rewarm packets before starting a bath be sure to let your patient know how these cloths will work Mrs Jones these no rinse cloths will be your protective fat they have a special ingredient in them called chlorexidine which works better than soap and water and keeping germs off your body once on your skin chlorhexadine Works to kill germs for 24 hours so you get the best protection from your baths will it dry out my skin oh no it has aloe so it's actually good for your skin most patients don't need lotion these clots may make your skin feel sticky for a few minutes until it fully dries will it sting my wound no actually it's very soothing there isn't anything in these clots to make your wound sting and we pay extra attention to clean your wounds well since we don't want any skin germs to get into them some wounds are too deep or large for us to clean but not yours that sounds good to get your patient ready for their bath remove any heel protectors or compression stockings the package will be difficult to open from the ends to open find the notch on the back of the package and tear keep the cloths on the blue foam do not place them directly on sheets since this can cause the sheets to stain using a cloth wipe the body to remove germs apply the first cloth to the face neck and then the chest be careful around the eyes and ears since you do not want 2% chg to get into the eyes or ear canal pay extra attention to the neck which is an area filled with bacteria and these germs can be close to lines and other devices when you are finished be sure to clean the last 6 in of all lines tubes and drains with the chg cloth including wiping over semi-permeable dressings use the second cloth to clean both of the shoulders arms including armpits and hands be sure to clean between the fingers the third cloth is used to clean the abdomen followed by the groin again after cleaning the skin wipe the closest Six in of any urinary catheter to keep bacteria away for obese patients pay special attention to skin folds which can also Harbor bacteria please also note that some patients may need to be turned or lifted to bathe be sure to let each part of the body dry use the the fourth cloth to clean the right leg and right foot the fifth cloth cleans the left leg and left foot be sure to clean the back of the knees and between the toes next position the patient on their side and use the sixth cloth to clean the back of the neck back and buttocks for incontinence first remove any urine or stool with your usual incontinence cleanup wipes do not use other soaps or or lotions which can inactivate chg then use chg cloths to clean the area and allow to air dry as with other parts of the body do not rinse chg off you can then apply chg compatible barrier protection over the area as needed remember patients like Mrs Jones may have superficial wounds rashes breaks in the skin or stage one or two to Cub ulcers these should be cleaned to help germs from getting in and causing infection after cleaning allow to fully dry before replacing the dressing even though the skin may feel a bit sticky dressings will not stay on unless the skin is fully dry avoid large or deep wounds many wound care nurses use chlorexidine often and can help answer more questions be sure to ose of CHD cloths in the trash do not flush if flushed the cloths will clog toilets do not allow patients to use the cloths as a toileting wipe finally your patient may want to bathe themselves with the cloths or step into the shower to bathe giving patients a one-page handout with instructions on how to bathe or shower will help the handout should be provided on admission or in the morning with plenty of time for them to read it before their bath or shower this will save you time even with the handout patients will need you to talk them through the process like how to open the packages how to use the cloths and how to let it air dry without rinsing tell them you will help them with wounds lines and hard-to-reach areas if your patient prefers to shower make sure they know to apply the provided liquid chg soap to all body areas out of the water stream and keep it on for at least 2 minutes before rinsing they should use the provided mesh sponge to lather without the mesh sponge the chg will not lather well you may need to help the patient clean their back and other hard-to-reach areas remember you can make a difference in protecting patients and preventing infections