A Case Study on Comfortable Hair Washing Position Using a Kelly Pad for Elderly Female Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases : Hip and Knee Joint Flexion Angles and Subjective Evaluation

<p>Flexing the hip and knee joints is recommended in assisted hair washing using a Kelly pad in the supine position on the bed. However, the most comfortable position for hospitalized patients who receive hair washing assistance is unclear, especially those with cardiovascular disease who are forced to rest in bed after hospitalization. Two elderly female patients hospitalized for cardiovascular diseases were examined to determine the comfortable position when they received hair washing assistance using a Kelly pad in the supine position on the bed with the knee joint flexed or extended, using the angle of hip and knee joint flexion during hair washing and the subjective assessment of muscle tension, sense of stability and sense of security using the visual analog scale (VAS) as indices. It was found that 1) the hip and knee joint flexion angles in the hair washing position that the patients with cardiovascular disease were comfortable with was about 21 degrees and 30-41 degrees, respectively, 2) the VAS value for “tension” was lower and the VAS value for sense of stability and sense of security was higher in washing hair with knees flexed compared to the washing with knees extended in both subjects, and 3) both subjects had a VAS value of 0 and 100 for “thigh and lower leg muscle tension” and “sense of stability” in the washing hair with knees flexed, respectively. Thus, washing hair in a position where the hip and knee joints are flexed, even gently, may lead to psychological comfort for elderly female patients with cardiovascular disease at bed rest, particularly, a decrease in muscle tension and an increase in the sense of stability.</p>