Abstract
A review of the literature revealed a lack of consensus concerning the type of bath, water temperature, and the length of the bath. Because our neonatal intensive care unit had already transitioned to swaddle bathing, the aim of this Performance Improvement project was to determine preferred initial water temperature and the length of the bath in the neonatal intensive care unit. Results of the Performance Improvement project indicated that above 101°F, the higher the initial water temperature, the higher the baby's temperature during the bath. Therefore, it was determined that the initial bath water temperature should be between 100° and 101° F and the average length of bath should be 8 minutes. Results of the chart review indicated that by 5 minutes after the bath, the initial water temperature had no lasting effect on the baby and the baby self-regulated his/her own body temperature. There was no difference in baby temperature after bath with a warmed blanket.
