Abstract

It is estimated that 30% of nursing home residents may be faecally incontinent, with those figures rising to 60% for patients in long-stay hospitals (Royal College of Physicians, 1995). Maintaining skin integrity for these patients can be complex. With little clinical information to support carers, choosing a skin care regime that maintains skin integrity for this high-risk group can be difficult. This study aims to compare two recognized skin care regimes, used in the cleansing of patients' skin following an episode of incontinence, and their impact on patients' skin integrity. A total of 93 patients were recruited to the trial from five care of the elderly or dependent service providers. The subjects were randomly allocated to either group A (soap and water; n = 49), or group B (Clinisan (Vernacare); n = 44). Initially, 33 patients in both groups started with healthy skin. However, the results of the final assessment identified only 17 subjects in group A remaining healthy, compared with 27 in group B.