Bathing hospitalized dependent patients with prepackaged disposable washcloths instead of traditional bath basins: A case-crossover study.

Background: Basins used for patient bathing have been shown to be contaminated with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) and have prompted the evaluation of alternatives to soap and water bathing methods.

Methods: We conducted a prospective, randomized, open-label interventional crossover study to assess the impact of replacing traditional bath basins with prepackaged washcloths on the incidence of hospital-associated infections (HAIs), MDROs, and secondarily, rates of skin deterioration. Unit-wide use of disposable washcloths over an 8-month period was compared with an 8-month period of standard care using basins.