Washing Without Water: Cost-effectiveness of a Rapidly Spreading Nursing Intervention in Bedridden Patients'

Skin Disease Clinical Trial

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Official title:

WASHING WITHOUT WATER Cost-effectiveness of a Rapidly Spreading Nursing Intervention om Bedridden Patients'

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01187732
• Other study ID #: 80-82310-97-1074
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: August 23, 2010
• Last updated: April 24, 2017
• Start date: April 2011
• Est. completion date: November 2012

Study information

• Verified date: April 2017
• Source: Radboud University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to compare the traditional bed bath with 'washing without water' on

• 1) effects on skin integrity

• 2) patient and nurse satisfaction and 3) costs. In a cluster randomized trial we will randomize 50 nursing home wards (576 patients) to 'washing without water' or traditional bed baths. Bathing regimens are continued for six weeks.

Whereas effects on skin damage are not likely to be specific for setting, these results can be generalized to other patient groups.

Description:

RAPID IMPLEMENTATION of new interventions while cost-effectiveness and acceptability for patients and care providers are unclear, is never desirable. 'Washing without water' is such an intervention.

The traditional bed bath is executed by using tap water, towels, washcloths and soap. As an alternative, 'WASHING WITHOUT WATER' was recently introduced in the Netherlands. This concept consists of disposable washcloths made of a mix of soft synthetic fibers, saturated with a no rinse, quickly vaporizing skin cleaning and caring lotion. 'WASHING WITHOUT WATER' can be used with all patients who need bathing assistance, especially when taking a shower or sitting in a hot tub is not possible.

However, while several claims are made about the positive effects of 'washing without water' as compared to traditional bathing, EVIDENCE IS LACKING. Also, 'washing without water' is CONTROVERSIAL. While some are eager to adopt the new concept, others see it as 'efficiency gone loose' and denying patients one of the most basic elements of care: a proper bath. This study therefore addresses the cost effectiveness of 'washing without water' in bedridden patients.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 500
• Est. completion date: November 2012
• Est. primary completion date: November 2012
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 45 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• long stay psychogeriatric nursing home residents

• long stay somatic nursing home residents

• 100 randomly selected nurses from the participating nursing home wards

Exclusion Criteria:

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Skin Disease
• Skin Diseases

Intervention

Device:
• Washing without water
The experimental intervention is 'washing without water' and consists of disposable washing cloths made of a mix of soft synthetic fibers, saturated with a no rinse, quickly vaporizing skin cleaning and caring lotion.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Netherlands	Radboud university medical center	Nijmegen	Gelderland

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Betsie van Gaal	ZonMw: The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Netherlands, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	the primary outcome is prevalence of care associated skin damage	Skin damage is defined as intertrigo, dermatitis and/or other erythema on skin areas which were not exposed to pressure directly before observation.	6 weeks
Secondary	Patient and nurse satisfaction with bathing technique	patient perceived discomfort during bathing; nurse perceived work load; observed bathing quality	6 weeks
Secondary	Cost bathing	Bathing and skin damage associated costs will be calculated from the costs of bathing and skin care associated staff time and the materials used.	6 weeks