Bathing hospitalized dependent patients with prepackaged disposable washcloths instead of traditional bath basins: A case-crossover study.
BACKGROUND
Basins used for patient bathing have been shown to be contaminated with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) and have prompted the evaluation of alternatives to soap and water bathing methods.


METHODS
We conducted a prospective, randomized, open-label interventional crossover study to assess the impact of replacing traditional bath basins with prepackaged washcloths on the incidence of hospital-associated infections (HAIs), MDROs, and secondarily, rates of skin deterioration. Unit-wide use of disposable washcloths over an 8-month period was compared with an 8-month period of standard care using basins.


RESULTS
A total of 2,637 patients were included from 2 medical-surgical units at a single tertiary medical center, contributing 16,034 patient days. During the study period, there were a total of 33 unit-acquired infections, the rates of which were not statistically different between study phases (incidence rate ratio, 1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50-2.23; P = .88). However, occurrence of skin integrity deterioration was significantly less in the intervention group (odds ratio, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.22-0.88; P = .02).


CONCLUSIONS
Although we were unable to demonstrate a significant reduction in HAI or MDRO acquisition, we found a decrease in skin deterioration with the use of disposable washcloths and confirmed earlier findings of MDRO contamination of wash basins.
['Martin|Emily Toth|ET|', 'Haider|Samran|S|', 'Palleschi|Maria|M|', 'Eagle|Sommer|S|', 'Crisostomo|Delfin V|DV|', 'Haddox|Pamela|P|', 'Harmon|Laura|L|', 'Mazur|Robin|R|', 'Moshos|Judy|J|', 'Marchaim|Dror|D|', 'Kaye|Keith S|KS|']
D000328:Adult D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local D001494:Baths D001512:Bedding and Linens D003428:Cross Infection D018592:Cross-Over Studies D004202:Disinfectants D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007362:Intensive Care Units D008297:Male D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus D008875:Middle Aged D011446:Prospective Studies D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections
Bathing Washcloths Hospital-associated infections Skin integrity