Registered Mental Health Nursing (RMN)
CARE OF THE HANDS AND FEET OF PSYCHIATRIC PATIENT
This is the method of maintaining hands and feet hygiene of the psychiatric patient. It involves the trimming and upkeep of patient’s finger and toe nails as well. The hands are easily contaminated and the feet are considered to be the least clean area, therefore it is important for the nurse to maintain hands and feet hygiene of the patient while on admission.
Purpose
- Prevent infection
- Promote self esteem
- Identify any abnormalities
- Prevent skin injury to self and others
- Improve grooming
Equipment
- A trolley set
- Top shelf
- Receiver
- Examination gloves
- Protective material
- Pedicure and manicure
- Bath thermometer
- Soap in a dish
- Sponge
- Small towels
- Petroleum jelly
- Bottom shelf
- Two jugs of water (cold and hot)
- Bowl
- Receptacle for used water
Procedure steps
- Establish rapport (refer procedure)
- Explain procedure to patient
- Provide privacy
- Prepare and send trolley to the appropriate place
- Put patient in a desired position
- Cover the working area with protective material
- Mix water in a bowl to a desired temperature (30-400C) using a bath thermometer/the back of your hand/elbow
- Put bowl of warm water on the protective material
- Wet fingers in the bowl of warm water and trim finger nails
- Put all nail clippings into a receiver
- Put hands into the bowl of warm water and scrub nails gently with nail brush
- Wash hands thoroughly using soap and sponge, rinse and dry
- Wet and trim toe nails across
- Put feet into the bowl of warm water and wash thoroughly using soap and sponge
- If feet are very dirty, use nail brush to scrub them
- Apply petroleum jelly to hands and feet
- Express appreciation to patient and direct him/her to the next activity
- Remove screen, clear trolley, decontaminate used items and perform hand hygiene
- Document procedure, report any abnormalities and indicate patient’s level of co-operation in the nurses’ notes/patient’s folder
References and further reading
Educational resource only. Follow current Nursing and Midwifery Council guidance, local institutional protocols, scope of practice, and clinical supervision.
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