Effects of disposable bath and towel bath on the transition of resident skin bacteria, water content of the stratum corneum, and relaxation

Body care of older people in different institutionalized settings: A systematic mapping review of international nursing research from a Scandinavian perspective

Body care is considered a key aspect of nursing and imperative for the health, wellbeing, and dignity of older people. In Scandinavian countries, body care as a professional practice has undergone considerable changes, bringing new understandings, values, and dilemmas into nursing. A systematic mapping review was conducted with the aims of identifying and mapping international nursing research on body care of older people in different institutionalized settings in the healthcare system and to critically discuss the dominant assumptions within the research by adapting a problematization approach. Most identified papers reported on empirical research with a biomedical approach focusing on outcome and effectiveness. Conceptual papers, papers with a focus on the perspectives of the older people, or contextual and material aspects were lacking. The research field is dominated by four dominant assumptions: Body care as an evidence-based practice, body care as a relational ethical practice, the body as a body-object and a body-subject, the objects in the body care practices as nonrelational materialities. Given the complexities of professional body care practices, there is a need for other research designs and theoretical perspectives within nursing that expand our understanding of body care taking into consideration the multiple social and material realities.

How emotional changes affect skin odor and its impact on others

The gas emanating from human skin is known to vary depending on one's physical condition and diet. Thus, skin gas has been gaining substantial scholarly attention as an effective noninvasive biomarker for understanding different physical conditions. This study focuses on the relationship between psychological stress and skin gas, which has remained unclear to date. It has been deduced that when participants were subjected to interviews confirmed as stressful by physiological indicators, their skin emitted an odor similar to stir-fried leeks containing allyl mercaptan and dimethyl trisulfide. This characteristic, recognizable odor appeared reproducibly during the stress-inducing situations. Furthermore, the study deduced that individuals who perceive this stress odor experience subjective tension, confusion, and fatigue (Profile of Mood States scale). Thus, the study findings indicate the possibility of human nonverbal communication through odor, which could enhance our understanding of human interaction.

Effectiveness of bed bath methods for skin integrity, skin cleanliness and comfort enhancement in adults: A systematic review

Aim

To evaluate the effectiveness of bed bath methods for skin integrity, skin cleanliness and comfort enhancement in adults.

Design

A systematic review based on the PRISMA guidelines.

Methods

We searched for quantitative studies published between 2004–2020, using the PubMed, MEDLINE and CINAHL. The remaining 25 studies were appraised by the JBI tool.

Results

Only four of the included studies were of high quality. Studies of above moderate quality demonstrated that disposable towels were as effective as cotton towels for skin lesions and bacterial removal. Applying a hot towel maintained the skin barrier function and provided warmth; cotton towels were effective for cleaning even with weak pressure, and post‐bed bath moisturizer treatment contributed to skin integrity.

Conclusion

Although various methods have been examined, the available evidence is inadequate for establishing best practices. It is necessary to verify empirical research with rigorous methodology involving elderly inpatients and to develop instruments that measure patients' comfort.

Layer-By-Layer Nanocoating of Antiviral Polysaccharides on Surfaces to Prevent Coronavirus Infections

In 2020, the world is being ravaged by the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes a severe respiratory disease, Covid-19. Hundreds of thousands of people have succumbed to the disease. Efforts at curing the disease are aimed at finding a vaccine and/or developing antiviral drugs. Despite these efforts, the WHO warned that the virus might never be eradicated. Countries around the world have instated non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing and wearing of masks in public to curb the spreading of the disease. Antiviral polysaccharides provide the ideal opportunity to combat the pathogen via pharmacotherapeutic applications. However, a layer-by-layer nanocoating approach is also envisioned to coat surfaces to which humans are exposed that could harbor pathogenic coronaviruses. By coating masks, clothing, and work surfaces in wet markets among others, these antiviral polysaccharides can ensure passive prevention of the spreading of the virus. It poses a so-called "eradicate-in-place" measure against the virus. Antiviral polysaccharides also provide a green chemistry pathway to virus eradication since these molecules are primarily of biological origin and can be modified by minimal synthetic approaches. They are biocompatible as well as biodegradable. This surface passivation approach could provide a powerful measure against the spreading of coronaviruses.

Combination of minimum wiping pressure and number of wipings that can remove pseudo-skin dirt: A digital image color analysis

BACKGROUND

Excessive wiping friction in skin care may lead to skin damage. Bed baths are required to remove skin dirt without affecting the skin barrier function; the wiping pressure and number of wipings that satisfy these two requirements have not been clarified. This study aimed to determine the minimum wiping pressure and number of wipings that can remove skin dirt.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this quasi-experimental study, 50 healthy adults received an adhesion of pseudo-oily and aqueous dirt, randomly assigned to the left and right forearms. Each participant was wiped three times with wiping pressure classified into six randomly assigned categories. The dirt removal rate was calculated by color-analyzing images captured before and after each wiping, and its dependence on the combination of wiping pressure and number of wipings was assessed using a linear mixed model.

RESULTS

The combinations achieving oily dirt removal rates of 80% or more were wiping once and pressure ≥50 mmHg, wiping twice and pressure ≥40 mmHg, and wiping thrice and pressure ≥10 mmHg. Aqueous dirt was removed almost completely by wiping once, even with pressure ≥5 mmHg.

CONCLUSION

Wiping with at least 10 mmHg or more three times can sufficiently remove both oily and aqueous dirt. Dirt removal rates with weak pressure can be made about as effective as those achieved with strong pressure by increasing the number of wipings. This result can be applied to daily nursing, home care, and long-term care health facilities.

Effects of differences in wiping pressure applied by nurses during daily bed baths on skin barrier function, cleanliness, and subjective evaluations

AIM

To clarify the actual condition and examine the effects of differences in wiping pressure applied by clinical nurses during daily bed baths on skin barrier function, cleanliness, and subjective evaluations.

METHODS

For the purposes of the present quasi-experimental interventional study, "wiping pressure" was defined as the "force applied vertically to the skin surface during bed baths." Two types of bed baths, one using ordinary wiping (pressure: 23-25 mmHg) and the other using weak wiping (pressure: 12-14 mmHg), were performed on the forearms (right and left) of 30 healthy adult men and women, and the effects on transepidermal water loss, stratum corneum hydration, cleanliness, and subjective evaluations were examined.

RESULTS

The results showed no differences between ordinary and weak wiping pressure in regard to the effects on skin barrier function and cleanliness. In terms of subjective evaluations, a significant association was seen between wiping pressure and the "sensation of having dirt removed" (P = .036). Regarding "degree of pain," some participants reported that the wiping pressure felt "slightly painful" under both conditions (ordinary: 31.1%; weak: 10.7%), while some with sensitive skin reported feeling pain even during weak wiping pressure.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study suggest that skin assessments should be performed before and after bed baths, and that wiping pressure should be controlled and evaluated while considering the patient's feelings.