The chux pad, an absorbent layer of fluff between two layers of waterproof material, is one of our favorite multi-tasking tools. Inexpensive. Widely-available in home and inpatient hospice care. Folded into a tiny, highly portable product. What’s not to love?
Read on for chux tips.
- Use a chux pad underneath any items you carry into the patient’s home or room, rather than setting a purse or supplies directly on the floor or other contaminated surface. Once the session is done, pick up your stuff and dispose of the chux onsite.
- Use a chux pad as a barrier when leaning or sitting (with permission, of course) on the patient’s bed or pillow. This provides protection and a sense of boundary for the patient, and keeps the therapist from carrying germs from one patient to the next.
- Use chux to keep the bed dry when offering wet compresses or other hydrotherapy.
- Protect furniture such as a recliner from lotion used during the massage, by placing a chux pad between the furniture and the area of the body where you are working.
- “Chux” is a generic name used for disposable pads which vary in quality. You might have to experiment to discover your favorite brand.
- Made from viscose cellulose and bamboo fibers, chux are considered to be biodegradable. That said, there are reusable chux options which might work for single-patient use.
One word of warning: a nursing colleague of ours was shaking out a chux when it broke in the middle, releasing fibers that caused respiratory irritation. Best to leave those suckers intact.
