Think of this as a "Heloise" for nursing students:

Christina Colaizzi, LPN (soon to be an RN)! Central Az. College, Coolidge, Az.

Here are a couple of low-tech hints that go a long way towards increasing patient comfort.

1. When giving a bed bath, put the little hospital issue bottle of lotion in the warm water in the bath basin, and let it soak in there while you bathe the patient. By the time the bath is done, the lotion will be warm. Your patients will really enjoy a post bath rub down with warm lotion.

2. When cleaning stubborn dried BM from delicate skin, shaving cream works well. Spray some on the area, and let it sit for a minute, then wipe off with a warm, wet wash cloth. The lubricant in the shaving cream really gets the BM off without alot of rubbing that will redden the skin. Plus, it leaves your patient smelling good.

Mark Francis
Waubonseee Community College, Suger Grove, Illinois

I want to share a small tidbit with everyone. It's called the Rule of Fours. A clinical nurse specialist taught me this. The rule of fours gives you a close approximation as to the % of O2 delivered through any cannula or mask. This is helpful in assessing respiratory function and shows the clinical instructor you are sharp, paying attention to the pt., doctors orders, and pt's response to therapy.

So what is it?

Room air is 21%
For every 1 lpm increase in O2 the % increases by 4%
So a pt. on 1 lpm per NC is getting approx 25% O2
A pt on 2 lpm per NC is getting approx 29%
A pt on 4 lpm per NC is getting approx 37%
and so on.

If you look on any Venturi mask these calculations should come with 2-4%. Anyway, something for everyone to apply in their arsenal for later use.

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