Full hospital study below.

 

 

Ally™ Ultra Thick Bathing Cloths

Hospital Test

St. Nicholas Hospital

Sheboygan, WI

July, 2013

 

PURPOSE:

Evaluate the Ally™ Ultra Thick Bathing Cloth Complete Bath System as a replacement for a basin bath.

 

PROTOCOL:

Study required the bathing of 35 patients (39 were actually bathed), each receiving 3 baths with the Ally™ Ultra Thick Bathing Cloths.

The test was done in two different nursing units by a total of 18 nurses. Nurses chose patients that would be willing and able to respond to the questionnaires. The patients ranged in age from 26 years old to more than 80 years of age. Nurses also evaluated the product by answering "caregiver" questionnaires. The evaluation took approximately six weeks to complete.

 

SUMMARY:

The study questionnaire results were overwhelmingly positive from both the nurses and the patients.

 

Patient questionnaires focused on their satisfaction with the Complete Bath System and various aspects specific to the product. The scale used was from 1 to 7; 1 being least satisfied and 7 being extremely satisfied. The Complete Bath System scored well over "6" on the scale. The highest average score was 6.7, the score for "softness of washcloths.''

 

The patients were also asked to rate the importance of the feature and benefit aspects of the product. The same scale of 1 to 7 was used with 1 being not important and 7 being extremely important. Again, all the aspects questioned scored well over "6.''

 

Nurses were also questioned on their satisfaction with the Complete Bath System. Scoring used the same scale from 1 to 7; with 1 being least satisfied and 7 being extremely satisfied. The questions, however, were different from the patients and geared more toward the actual use of the product. The scores were all well above "6.''

 

Only one patient out of 39 answered they would not request a "Ally™ Bathing Cloth bath" in place of a basin bath. Two nurses out of 18 answered they would not recommend their facilities purchase the Ally™ Ultra Thick Bathing Cloth . In the "other comments" section they cited they had a difficult time believing that the Ally™ Ultra Thick Bathing Cloth cleansed as well as "good old soap and water."

 

An interesting comment made a number of times by the nurses was that they “preferred the Ally™ Ultra Thick Bathing Cloth because the washcloths were so much less abrasive than the standard hospital washcloths." They felt this "softer cloth" feature was extremely beneficial in patients with skin abrasions, sensitive skin, bed sores, and rashes. A few of the patients with these symptoms also noted that the Ally™ Ultra Thick Bathing Cloth was very comfortable and soothing in comparison to a typical basin bath.

 

It should be noted that the nurses involved in the study did not know the hospital cost of the Ally™ Ultra Thick Bathing Cloth and therefore not all responded to this aspect on the questionnaire.

 

 

CONCLUSION:

The study overwhelmingly confirms the preference of the basinless Complete Bath System by both the patients and the nurses. It reinforced the belief that the Ally™ Ultra Thick Bathing Cloth is an extremely beneficial product for the hospital facility and the protracted study confirmed substantial cost savings.

 

Ally™ ULTRA THICK BATHING CLOTHS RESEARCH RESULTS FOR PATIENTS

St. Nicholas Hospital, Sheboygan, WI

 

Satisfaction with the Ally™ Ultra Thick Bathing Cloths

Scale: 1-7, 1 = Strongly Disagree & 7 = Strongly Agree

 

Question                                                                                   Average

Washcloths are soft and comfortable......................................... 6.77

Ally™ leaves me clean................................................................6.69

Washcloths hold heat for length of bath......................................6.62

Ally™ leaves my skin soft............................................................6.59

Washcloths are just the right size................................................6.56

Ally™solution evaporates on my skin..........................................6.56

Washcloths have right amount of solution...................................6.49

Ally™ fragrance is appealing.......................................................6.47

Ally™ leaves my skin moist.........................................................6.46

Overall satisfaction with product.................................................6.32

Ally™ allows me more privacy....................................................6.31

Ally™ allows me to bathe myself................................................6.26

 

 

Importance of product features and benefits

Scale: 1·7, 1=Not Important & 7= Extremely Important

 

Question                                                                                  Average

Washcloths are soft and comfortable..........................................6.74

Washcloths hold heat for length of bath......................................6.67

Ally™ leaves me clean................................................................6.56

Ally™ eaves my skin soft............................................................6.49

Ally™ solution evaporates on my skin........................................6.38

Washcloths have right amount of solution..................................6.36

Ally™ allows me to bathe myself................................................6.36

Washcloths are just the right size...............................................6.31

Ally™ allows me more privacy....................................................6.31

Ally™ fragrance is appealing......................................................6.31

Ally™leaves my skin moist.........................................................6.26

 

 

Question:

Would you ask that Ally™ Ultra Thick Bathing Cloths continue to be used for your bed bath?

Definitely           Probably            Might           Probably Not          Definitely Not            Don't Know            Total

     17                      16                     2                        0                             1                             2                      38

    45%                   42%                  5%                    0%                          3%                          5%                  100%

 

Age Range: 26 - 75+ years

 

Sex: 22 Female, 17 Male

 

Quotes from Patients

"I like the fresh feeling on my skin, no residual tackiness or greasiness."

"It smells nice, feels good and is a quick bath."

"I'd like to purchase it for home use."

"It's soft and warm, not drippy, no chills." "No water or soap to contest with, it's easy."

" It's easier on my hands and it smells good."

"I can't wring out a washcloth with my hands so this was much better."

"It's warm and relaxing."

"It leaves skin soft and smells nice."

"It was soothing; I would like to buy it for vacations."

"It was easy, simple, and handy."

"It felt refreshing."

"It feels good and efficient."

"It was quick and smells nice."

"I like the way it feels, smooth, gentle and soft. I enjoy the idea of Aloe Vera and Vitamin E."

"Using the product in delicate situation, for example, raw or sore body parts it soothes the pain and is comforting.''

"They do a good job."

"Nice smell and it was soft. A lot easier than soap and water." "I like the softness of the towels."

"The Joey Bath is easier to use than washing and then rinsing and then drying. It is a lot faster."

"It would be a good item for children who are sick or if they don't like to take baths."

"I like the way they dry. I like the warmth."

"It's comfortable and handy."

"It's nice and hot and easy."

"They are refreshing and fast."

"Felt real good, warm. I like how my skin felt after. Very handy." "Works great, handy."

"It's quick, easy and smells nice."

"It smells nice, allowed me to bathe myself."

"Very nice to have a warm bath; fresh clean smelling after my bath."

"I liked that it was warm and you don't have to dry."

"It smells good, made me feel nice and dean. I liked the warm feeling and softness.

 

 

Ally™ ULTRA THICK BATHING CLOTHS RESEARCH RESULTS FOR NURSES

Satisfaction with the Complete Bath System

Scale: 1-7,1=Strongly Disagree & 7=Strongly Agree

 

Question                                                                                   Average

Ally™ easy to administer..............................................................6.61

Ally™ saves me time....................................................................6.56

The washcloths are soft and comfortable.....................................6.50

Ally™ eliminates laundering of washcloths...................................6.44

Ally™ package opening is just the right size.................................6.44

Washcloth has the right amount of solution..................................6.28

Washcloths are just the right size.................................................6.22

Package makes it easy to take washcloths out............................6.22

The Ally™package reseals tightly.................................................6.17

Washcloths hold heat for the length of the bath............................6.11

Instructions were easy to follow....................................................6.11

Washcloths have just the right amount of solution........................6.11

Ally™ leaves my hands feeling soft..............................................6.11

Ally™ does not require towel drying.............................................6.06

Ally™ leaves the patient's skin soft..............................................6.06

Ally™ leaves the patient clean.....................................................5.95

Fragrance is appealing.................................................................5.94

Solution evaporates on the patient’s skin.....................................5.89

The package look is just right for healthcare setting....................5.89

Overall Satisfaction with the product............................................5.83

Ally™ saves money for the facility................................................5.78

Dispenser makes it easy to take pouches out..............................4.67

 

Importance of product features and benefits

Scale: 1·7, 1=Not Important & 7= Extremely Important

 

Question                                                                                   Average

The washcloths are soft and comfortable.....................................6.56

Ally™ leaves the patient clean......................................................6.50

Ally™  is easy to administer..........................................................6.44

Ally™  leaves the patient's skin soft..............................................6.33

Ally™  saves me time...................................................................6.33

Washcloths have just the right amount of solution........................6.28

Washcloths hold heat for the length of the bath............................6.26

Washcloths are just the right size..................................................6.28

Dispenser makes it easy to take pouches out...............................6.22

The Ally™ package reseals tightly.................................................6.22

Solution evaporates on the patients skin.......................................6.17

Package makes it easy to take washcloths out.............................6.06

Ally™ package opening is just the right size.................................6.06

Each washcloth has the right amount of solution..........................6.06

Ally™ does not require towel drying..............................................5.94

Ally™ eliminates laundering of washcloths...................................5.94

Ally™  leaves my hands feeling soft.............................................5.94

Fragrance is appealing.................................................................5.94

Instructions were easy to follow....................................................5.89

Ally™ saves money for the facility.................................................5.72

Package look is just right for healthcare setting............................5.61

 

 

Would you recommend purchasing the Ally™ product for use in your facility?

Definitely           Probably            Might             Probably Not           Definitely Not           Don't Care            Total

      9                        5                      2                         1                              1                            0                      18

    50%                   28%                 11%                     6%                           6%                        0%                   100%

 

 

Quotes from Nurses

"Ally™ are nice for those stuck in bed."

"It's soft for elderly skin, patients smell nicer, it's quick and easy when you’re in a rush, you can warm up the towelettes and they will stay warm vs. changing cold water."

"The patients liked them a lot. The total bed bath patient said it was nice until she can get up and shower. I like them a lot because they're quick and ready-to-use."

"I like the heaviness of the washcloths and the amount of liquid on cloths."

"They are good for non-ambulatory patients."

"It's nice for patients that can't get out of bed or to use for washing the perineal area."

"I like that the Ally™  is quick, deans the patient, and has moisturizer. I also think it is nice that it is warm."

"I like the scent, softness of the cloths and the convenience."

"They are soothing and fresh smelling."

"They are soft, soothing, nice aroma, nice and moist and are easy to use."

"I used it on a non-responsive person. It helped them."

"The packaging-container is convenient, I was able to reseal, keeps moist, and microwaves easily."

"They are the perfect size, soft, and nice smelling."

"I would use the Ally™ on people that have sensitive skin, skin breakdown and gentle skin because it's not as abrasive as a regular washcloth."

"Doesn't have a perfume smell, feels nice on the skin, and the towelettes were full of moisture. The patients liked it a lot."

"Non-drying to the skin and it cuts down on bath time."

"It saves time."

"I would use it for patient bathing because it is so much quicker than old fashioned basin baths."

"Nice scent, not too strong, the cloths are soft and bathing is quick."