Effects of Bathing in a Tub on Physical and Psychological Symptoms of End-of-Life Cancer Patients: An Observational, Controlled Study.
Eriko Hayashi, Maho Aoyama, Fumiyasu Fukano and 3 others
PMID 34550913WHAT IT FOUND
Overall symptom scores did not improve significantly on bathing days compared with nonbathing days.
After a bath, overall scores improved, but this was a before-and-after observation in patients who chose to bathe.
Key findings
01The overall ESAS-r-J score did not improve significantly on bathing days compared with nonbathing days (P = .11).
02After bathing, the average overall ESAS-r-J score improved from 16.6 to 12.4 (P < .01).
03Tiredness was the only symptom significantly better on bathing days than on nonbathing days, and 24 individuals (42%) improved after bathing.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was not randomized, and bathing was offered according to patient wishes, so patients who bathed may have differed from those who did not. It was conducted in a single palliative care ward in Japan, so results may not apply elsewhere. The sample was small, and some patients could not complete measurements because of delirium or worsening condition. Symptoms were measured only shortly after bathing, so long-term effects are unclear. The controlled comparison of overall symptoms was null, so the before-and-after improvement cannot be treated as controlled evidence.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that tub bathing caused symptom relief. Patients chose whether to bathe, and the controlled comparison between bathing and nonbathing days did not show a significant overall improvement. The before-and-after improvement was not tested against a randomized control.