title: [Using an Innovative Portable Shower Bed to Improve Current Bathing Methods and Enhance the Physical Comfort of Terminally Ill Patients in Home Environments].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Terminally ill patients frequently suffer from physical distress and a limited ability to perform activities of daily living. Bathing is a particularly troublesome problem for these patients, as the limitations of the home environment increase the challenges for caregivers to bathe terminally ill patients at home.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was developed to alter the current bathing methods of terminally ill patients in order to improve their physical comfort and to help caregivers better facilitate home-bathing care for their patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A "portable shower bed" was introduced to allow patients to bathe in their own beds. The tools used to evaluate results were the Bathing and Physical Comfort Scale and the self-developed Bathing Satisfaction Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 90% of participants expressed satisfaction with the portable shower bed. Furthermore, the average physical comfort score of participants improved from 3.9 to 6.13.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The innovative portable shower bed is inexpensive, practical, foldable, easy to operate, safe, and comfortable. The bed significantly reduces the difficulties faced by caregivers in helping terminally ill patients bathe in home environments. This shower bed reduces the burden on caregivers by improving bathing care and the physical comfort of terminally ill patients.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Nursing, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Shu-Wen
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Departments of Nursing, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Hsiao-Ni
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, National Yang Ming University, Taiwan, ROC. shhuang@ym.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Shu-He
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D001494:Baths / Q000379:methods*; D001513:Beds; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019452:Terminally Ill
keywords: activities of daily living (ADL); bathing; home care; shower bed; terminal ill