TITLE:
Preliminary Study on the Effectiveness of Different Durations of Hot Towel Application to the Back during Bed Bathing
AUTHORS:
Inaho Shishido, Yuka Yamaguchi, Rie Miyata, Sakiko Kutomi, Rika Yano
KEYWORDS:
Bed Bath, Hot Towel Application, Skin Surface Temperature
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.7 No.12,
December
11,
2017
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to determine the most
effective duration of hot towel application during bed bathing, based on
temporal changes in skin surface temperature, towel temperature, and subjective
comfort. As a secondary objective, differences in skin surface temperature and
subjective comfort for hot towel application on the back and dry towel wiping
alone were evaluated. For the first objective, hot towels were applied on the
lower back of 20 healthy adults, for different duration (10, 15, and 20 s),
with a 10-s duration found to be the most effective. For the second objective,
we compared bed bathing with hot towel application to dry wiping alone, n 21
healthy adult participants. A 10-s hot towel application increased the surface
temperature of the skin (+0.5℃) and provided a perceived sensation of warmth
and comfort. In contrast, dry wiping significantly decreased the surface skin
temperature (-0.8℃). In conclusion, hot towel application increased skin
surface temperature and improved subjective warmth and comfort during bed bathing.