Chapter 9: Patient comfort and supporting personal hygiene
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Definition
Hygiene is defined as the practices involved in maintaining health and preventing disease (O'Connor [165]). Personal hygiene is the self‐care by which people attend to functions such as bathing, toileting, general body hygiene and grooming. Hygiene is a highly personal matter determined by individual values and practices. It involves care of the skin, hair, nails, teeth, oral and nasal cavities, eyes, ears, and perianal and perineal–genital areas (Berman et al. [18]). Maintaining a good level of personal hygiene is essential for all patients during their stay in hospital (O'Connor [165]).
