Bed bath in critical care patients: An integrative review

Abstract

Objective: analyze scientific studies on bed bath of adult patients in critical care. Method: an integrative literature review was conducted in 2016 in the following databases: CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, LILACS, and Web of Science, using the descriptors: "baths," "critical care," with Boolean operator "and." Results: 21 articles were included. The studies focused on: the relation between bed bath and the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), and description and evaluation of the bed bath procedure. Conclusion: a knowledge gap was observed in the literature in terms of the best bed bath technique, but the scientific studies analyzed in this review show this procedure can cause changes in the physiological parameters of adult patients in critical care.