Offering and Removing Bed Pan

• If the individual is weak or helpless, two peoples are needed to place and remove bed pans

• If a person needs the bed pan for a longer time periodically remove and replace the pan to ease pressure and prevent tissue damage

• Metal bed pans should be warmed before use by:
o Running warm water inside the rim of the pan or over the pan
o Covering with cloth

• Semi-Fowler’s position relieves strain on the client’s back and permits a more normal position for elimination Improper placement of the bedpan can cause skin abrasion to the sacral area and spillage

o Place a regular bed pan under the buttocks with the narrow end towards the foot of the bed and the buttocks resting on the smooth, rounded rim
o Place a slipper (fracture) pan with the flat, low end under the client’s buttocks
o Covering the bed pan after use reduces offensive odors and the clients embarrassment

If the client is unable to achieve regular defecation help by attending to:
1. The provision of privacy
2. Timing – do not ignore the urge to defecate
• A patient should be encouraged to defecate when the urge to defecate is recognized
• The patient and the nurse can discuss when mass peristalsis normally occurs and provide time for defecation (the same time each day)

If the client is unable to achieve regular defecation help by attending to:
1. The provision of privacy

2. Timing – do not ignore the urge to defecate
• A patient should be encouraged to defecate when the urge to defecate is recognized
• The patient and the nurse can discuss when mass peristalsis normally occurs and provide time for defecation (the same time each day)

3. Nutrition and fluids
For a constipated client: increase daily fluid intake, drink hot liquids and fruit juices etc

For the client with diarrhea – encourage oral intake of foods and fluids

For the client who has flatulence: limit carbonated beverages; avoid gas-forming foods

4. Exercise
• Regular exercise helps clients develop a regular defecation pattern and normal feces

5. Positioning
• Sitting position is preferred

Measures to assist the person to void include:
• Running water in the sink so that the client can hear it
• Warming the bed pan before use
• Pouring warm water over the perineum slowly
• Having the person assume a comfortable position by raising the head of the bed (men often prefer to stand)
• Providing sufficient analgesia for pain
• Having the person blow through a straw into a glass of water
– relaxes the urinary sphincter