Development of portable shower-tub for bedridden patients.

摘要

Taking a bath is important care for bedridden patients. However, taking a bath for bedridden patients is very limited and burdensome for both bedridden patients and caregivers. For bedridden patients in nursing homes, a lifting bed inside the bathtub has been widely used, where the patient is lying flat in the lifting bed and gently sinks into the bathtub. The water temperature of the bathtub cannot be changed quickly and it takes approximately 1 h to exchange fresh hot water for next patient. There are many bedridden patients using this machine. Therefore, exchanging fresh water for the next patient is unrealistic in a nursing home. Usually, caregivers do not change the water and bedridden patients take baths without hot water exchange. Caregivers have to transport the bedridden patients to the lifting bed from a stretcher type bed. A few caregivers have to participate to transport the bedridden patient before and after taking a bath. For bedridden patients at home, a visiting home bath system has been used. A bathtub is brought into the room and hot water is supplied by a special supporting car. It takes approximately 1 h to fill the bathtub with hot water using a long hose from a special supporting car and it takes approximately 2-3 h to take a bath for one bedridden patient. Three caregivers including one nurse have to participate in the home visiting bath system. Although the home visiting bath system is supported by the care insurance system, it can be used only once or twice a month because of the cost and insufficient supply of home visiting bath systems.