PERSONAL HYGIENE FOR PATIENT – Nurse Info

HYGIENE (Personal Hygiene) – Definition, Morning and Evening Care, Personal Hygiene, Care of Hair, Maintaining Hair Care, Hair Combing, Hair Wash/Bed Shampoo, Pediculosis Treatment, Care of the Eyes, Nose and Ears, Oral Hygiene, Care of Dentures, Bed Bath, Care of Hands, Feet and Nails, Care of Pressure Points/Bedsore, Care of the Perineum, Clothing, Exercise, Habits, Sex and Health and Mental Health

UPDATED 2024

DEFINITIONS

Hygiene: hygiene is defined as the
science and art which is associated with the prevention and promotion of
health. Hygiene is science of health, which includes all the factors
contributing to healthful living.
Habits: habits are the highly
automated and self-executed behavior of man. Habits can be related to physical
activities or mental like those related to paying attention or thinking
Personal hygiene: personal hygiene
implies to those principles of physical cleanliness and mental health, which
are practiced by a person at individual level
Sexual health: sexual health is an
integration of the somatic, emotional intellectual and social aspects of sexual
being, in ways that positively enrich and enhance the personality,
communication and love
Mental health: mental health is
defined as the capacity in an individual to form harmonious relations with
others and to participate in or contribute constructively to the changes in his
social and physical environment
School hygiene: school hygiene or
school health is a branch of community health to facilitate optimum health to
school children. It also includes prevention of diseases, early diagnosis
Attitude: it is a mental structure or
framework that includes motivational, perceptual, emotional and cognitive
reactions. It also manifest the individual concepts, thoughts or imaginations,
which direct his behavior towards a specific direction
Health behaviors: it includes all
those activities and actions adopted by man as a protection against diseases.
The concept of health behavior includes rules of personal health, good health
habits, and taking preventive steps against diseases
Menstrual hygiene: menstrual
discharge is a normal physiological process. Menstrual hygiene describes the
basic elements of hygiene during menstruation to promote feeling of well-being
and prevention of diseases. This hygiene practices includes daily bath, keeping
the genital organs clean and dry, placing a clean sanitary pads and taking
proper nutrition and rest

INTRODUCTION

The word
hygiene has evolved from the Greek term “Hygia” which means “Goodness of
Health”. Hygiene is the science of health and includes all factors which
contribute to healthful living. Hygiene is the science of health and it
preservation, it also refers to practices that are conducive to good health.
Good personal hygiene is important to a person’s general health.

Definition

Hygiene
defined as “the science and art which is associated with the preservation and
promotion of health”.

Hygiene is
defined as that “science of health, which includes all the factors contributing
to the healthful living”

Types of Hygiene

Social hygiene: social medicine has
replaced the word social hygiene, it objective to study man as a social animal
in its total environment. The scope of social medicine includes science of
social structure and functions, social pathology and social treatment, etc
Industrial hygiene: occupational
health, which has broader meaning. Its scope is extended up to the health of
labor working in all types of occupation and different aspects of health
School hygiene: school hygiene or
school health is an important branch of community health, which facilitating
optimum health to school children
Preventive medicine: nowadays, a
broader term community medicine is used. Preventive medicine plays primary role
in immunization as specific protection and general methods of improvement in
health
Personal hygiene: personal hygiene or
personal health implies to those principles of physical cleanliness and mental
health. Personal hygiene is not only limited to taking care of body and keeping
it clean, rather the mental and spiritual aspects are also an integral part of
it

Factors Influencing Hygiene Practices

Personal preferences: each individual
has his own desires and preferences about when to bathe, shave, and perform
hair care. Same way each individual select different products according to the
personal preferences, needs and financial resources. The nurse assists the
client in delivering individualized care to the client
Social practices: social groups
influence hygiene practices and preferences. During childhood, hygiene
practices are influenced by family customs and as children enter their
adolescent years, hygiene practices may be influenced by the peer group
behavior. During the adult years, work groups and friends shape the
expectations of people and in the older adults hygiene practices may change
because of living conditions and available resources
Socioeconomic status: the type and
extent of hygiene practices are influenced by a person’s economic resources.
The nurse determines which products/supplies, the client can afford
Health belief and motivation:
knowledge regarding the importance of hygiene for well-being influences hygiene
practices. Only knowledge is not enough. The client must be motivated to
maintain self-care
Cultural beliefs: a client’s cultural
beliefs and personal values influence hygiene care
Physical condition: certain type of
physical limitations or disabilities often lacks the physical energy to perform
hygiene care e.g. a client with traction or who has an intravenous line, will
need assistance for hygiene maintenance

MORNING AND EVENING CARE

A patient’s
bath may be given at any time, according to the patient’s needs, but certain
routines are generally followed on a ward.

Morning Care

The
procedure followed in the morning affects the patient’s comfort
throughout the day
Each morning before breakfast, the
patient should be assisted to the bathroom, or a bedpan or urinal should be
provided, according to the patient’s activity level
The patient is then given the
opportunity to wash his/her hands and face and brush his/her teeth. The bed
linen is straightened, and the over bed table is cleaned in preparation for the
breakfast tray
After breakfast, the patient has a
complete bath (type is dependent upon the patient’s condition and mobility),
mouth care, a change of clothing and a back massage
Bed linens are changed; and the unit
is cleaned and straightened to provide a comfortable and safe environment for
the patient

Evening Care

The care the patient receives at the
end of the day greatly influences the patient’s level of relaxation and ability
to sleep
An opportunity is provided for
elimination; the patient’s hands and face are washed; the teeth are brushed; a
back rub is given
Bed linens are straightened; the
patient’s unit is straightened to ensure comfort and safety. It is important
that there are no items, which the patient could slip on, or fall over, such as
chairs or linens, on the floor

PERSONAL HYGIENE

Personal
hygiene has a significant role in every society. Every culture develops and
maintains its standards and methods of maintaining personal cleanliness. Habits
are formed for performing actions to keep the body clean and functioning
normally.

Personal
hygiene includes all those personal factors which influence the health and
well-being of an individual. It consists of the body regarding bathing and
washing, care of hair, nails and feet, mouth cleanliness and care of the teeth,
care of the nose and ears, clothing, postures, exercises, recreation, rest and
relaxation, sleep habits and nutrition

Personal hygiene is necessarily maintained for a person’s comfort and well-being. A variety of personal and socio-cultural factors influence the client’s hygiene practices. The nurse determines a client’s ability to perform self-care and provides hygienic care according to the client’s needs and preferences. While providing hygiene, the nurse must preserve as much client’s independence as possible, ensure privacy, convey respect and foster the client’s physical comfort.

personal hygiene for patients - nursing procedure - nurseinfo

Definition

Personal
hygiene defined as that “the healthy practices and lifestyle helps in the
maintenance and promotion of individual health physically, emotionally,
socially and spiritually”

Purposes of Personal Hygiene and Protect from Disease

To prevent illness
To promote good health
To improve the standard of health
To maintain quality life of an
individual
To promote mental well-being
To promote socially and spiritually
health
To improve the self-esteem in the
society
To maintain resistance and prevent
form infection

Principles of Personal Hygiene

Hygiene practices are learnt
Changes occur throughout the life
span, it also affects the health care practices
Individual differences exit from one
individual to other
Health practices of people vary with
cultural values and personal values
Health practices directly influences
the physical, mental, social and spiritual health of an individual
Good health practices prevent entry
of microorganisms into the body
Nature acts as a first line of
defense on human health natural light and ventilation

Factors Influences on Personal Hygiene

Social practices: social groups
influence including the type of personal care. During childhood, hygiene is
influenced by family customs
Personal preferences: each person has
individual desires and preferences about when to bath, shave and perform hair
care. Individual selects different products according to personal preferences,
needs and financial resources
Body language: an individual general
holds for the person. Body image is a person’s subjective concept of his or her
physical appearance. These images can change frequently. When individual
undergo surgery, illness or a change in functional status, body image can
change dramatically
Socioeconomic status: a person’s
economic resources influence the type and extent of hygiene practices used.
Socioeconomic status may influence his or her ability to regularly maintain
hygiene
Health beliefs and motivation:
knowledge about importance of hygiene and its implication for well-being
influences hygiene practices. However, knowledge alone is not enough. The individual
also must be motivated to maintain self-care
Cultural variables: an individual’s
cultural beliefs and personal values hygiene care. People from diverse cultural
background follow different self-care practices. Culturally maintaining
cleanliness may not hold the same importance for some ethnic groups as it does
for others.
Physical condition: the nurse quickly
learns that clients with certain types of physical limitations or disabilities
often lack of physical energy and dexterity to perform hygienic care. A client
in traction or a cast or who has an intravenous line or other device connected
to the body will need assistance with hygiene

Importance of Personal Hygiene

Maintenance of physical hygiene in a
state of health is a personal value and individual responsibility
Personal hygiene helps maintenance of
physical and psychological homeostasis
Personal hygiene helps to promote
individuals comfort, safety and well-being
A clean mouth and teeth aids to the
patients a feeling of self-approval
Healthy hygienic practices and
technique, which provides economy of time, material and energy
Stimulation of circulation by massage
and brushing is essential to maintain the hair healthy
Keeping the scalp clean by brushing
and shampooing will help to relieve form dandruff
Moving the body joints in their whole
range of movement helps to prevent muscle contraction and improve circulation
Good personal hygiene is essential
during sickness as well as in health

Nurses Role in Personal Hygiene

Direct provision of hygienic care
provides the nurse with an ideal opportunity for daily assessment of the
patient’s physical and emotional state
The process of daily bathing, oral
hygiene, care of the hair, nails and massage forms a vital part of the
nurse-patient interaction
The nurse should assess the needs of
patients and identifying related nursing problems
The nurse needs to collect further
information about the patient’s identified problems
The nurse needs to develop an
appropriate nursing care plan in terms of the data collected and relevant
nursing principles
The nurse has to implement the
nursing care plan to provide optimum quality of nursing care for individual
patients
The nurse has to evaluate the success
of the nursing care plan and adjusting it to meet the patient’s changing needs
The nurse also participates in
carrying out the physician’s orders and refers to the physician pertinent
observations and information about the patient
The nurse has to motivate the patient
to resume independence and responsibility for care as the condition permits
The nurse must apply knowledge of
pathophysiology to provide good preventive hygienic care. The nurse has to
integrate knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology during hygienic care