Effect of less frequent bathing on premature infant skin.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of less frequent bathing on skin flora of premature infants.


METHODS
Randomized clinical trial comparing the impact of every other day bathing to every 4th day bathing on skin flora type and colony count.


METHODS
University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center Level IV neonatal intensive-care unit.


METHODS
Fifty-three premature infants less than 37 weeks gestational age, 14 days or older, and receiving a bath.


METHODS
Premature infants were randomized to either every other day bathing (control group, n = 28) or every 4th day bathing (intervention group, n = 25).


METHODS
Skin flora type and colony count obtained weekly.


RESULTS
Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to test the main effect of group, time, and Group x Time interaction. These factors were not statistically significant; group F(1,21) = 1.842, p = .189; time F(3,63) = 1.359, p = .263; Group x Time interaction F(3,63) = 0.753, p = .525. None of the infants developed an infection as a result of participating in the study protocol.


CONCLUSIONS
Every 4th day bathing of premature infants appears to be safe.
Quinn
Dolores
D
University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center, 505 Parnassus Avenue, Box 0210, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. doloresquinn@earthlink.net
Newton
Nancy
N
Piecuch
Robert
R
D001494:Baths / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007224:Infant Care / Q000379:methods*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy; D012016:Reference Values; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology*; D017592:Skin Care / Q000379:methods*; D014987:Xerostomia