The association between bathing and weaning trial duration.
OBJECTIVE
To describe patterns of bath care for patients who are weaning from prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) and to explore the association between bathing and weaning trial duration.


METHODS
Descriptive correlational study. Clinical records from 439 weaning trial days for 30 patients who required PMV were abstracted for bathing occurrences during weaning trials, within 1 hour before a trial, and nocturnally.


RESULTS
Most baths occurred during weaning trials (30.8%) or at night (35.3%), and less frequently (16%) within 1 hour before a trial. No significant effects were found on trial duration for nocturnal bathing or bathing within 1 hour before a trial. By using random coefficient modeling, weaning duration was shown to be longer when bathing occurred during a weaning trial (P < .05), even when controlling for age, severity of illness, and days on bedrest.


CONCLUSIONS
Bathing occurred during approximately one third of PMV weaning trials. Baths during PMV weaning trials were associated with longer weaning trial duration.
Sereika
Susan M
SM
University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA.
Tate
Judith A
JA
DiVirgilio-Thomas
Dana
D
Hoffman
Leslie A
LA
Swigart
Valerie A
VA
Broyles
Lauren
L
Roesch
Tricia
T
Happ
Mary Beth
MB
D018806:APACHE; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001494:Baths; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003422:Critical Care; D016638:Critical Illness; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011594:Psychometrics; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013997:Time Factors; D015300:Ventilator Weaning / Q000379:methods*