THE BAG TECHNIQUE

KEY TERMS

 Bag technique
 Community health bag
 Home-based procedures

The bag technique is a tool by which the nurse, during her visit will enable her to perform a nursing procedure
with ease and Deftness to save time and effort for rendering effective nursing care to clients. The community
health bag is an essential and indispensable equipment of a community health nurse which she must carry along
during her home visits. It contains articles which are necessary for giving care.

OBJECTIVES

 To render effective nursing care due to clients and/or members of the family during home visits.
 To prevent contamination of the nursing bag.
 To prevent cross-contamination and spread of infectious organisms.

PRINCIPLES

 Performing the bag technique will minimize, if not, prevent the spread of any infection from individuals
to families, hence to the community.
 Bag techniques saves time and effort in the performance of nursing procedures.
 Bag technique should not overshadow concern for the patient rather should show the effectiveness of
total care given to an individual or family.
 Bag techniques can be performed in variety of ways depending upon agency policies, actual home
situation, etc. as along as principles of avoiding transfer of infection is carried out.

COMMUNITY HEALTH BAG

It serves as a working tool or kit of a Community Health Nurse to work efficiently, and swiftly during nursing
procedures. It is a handy bag preferably black in color. It has two pockets and third outer zipped pocket. These
pockets are to separate different types of articles. The newspaper, folders, Flash book, apron and handwashing
articles should be in the outer pocket of bag and the articles for home-based procedure should be in the inner
pockets.
Articles Required:

1. Soap in a soap dish/soap strips and hand towel

2. News paper

3. Apron

4. Tape measure

5. Baby's scale/spring balance

6. BP apparatus and stethoscope

7. Diary and pen

8. Hemoglobin testing scale

9. Lancet

10. Blotting paper

11 Thermometers

12. Torch

13. Glass slides

14. Cotton balls

15 Sterile dressing

16 Puncture-proof container to receive used lancet or needles

17. Urine analysis kit (candle. Test tube holders, Benedicts solution and acetic acid, test tubes (3-4), cotton match
box, used syringe for measuring urine, dropper urine analysis color matching scale for testing urine sugar)

18. Folders

19. Bash book

20. Watch
STEPS OF PROCEDURE (Checklist)

The following are steps in performing bag technique and rationale for each action once in the patient's home:

S
No Tasks Performed Yes No
.
1 Greet the patient and introduce yourself
2 State the purpose of the visit.
3 Observe the patient and determine the health needs
Select the cleanest and most convenient work area. Take out the newspaper from outer
pocket of the bag and spread it raised surface (not on the floor). Raised surface could
4
be table/bed/chair/stool/bench, etc. Place the bog on it. This is done to protect the bag
from getting contaminated.
Take out the family folder from outer pocket of bag and have a talk with the mother.
5 Write down all the necessary data that were gathered, observations, nursing care and
treatment rendered Give instructions for care of patients in the absence of the nurse
In case you want to do some home-based procedure then ask for water to wash hands.
6 Take soap strips and towel from outer pocket of bag. Wash hands with soap and water
and dry it with hand towel.
7 Take out the apron from the outer pocket of bag and put it on to protect your uniform
8 Open the bag and take out necessary articles needed for the specific care from the bag.
Put out all the necessary articles needed for the specific care on the newspaper near
9
the bag
10 Close the bag and put it in one corner of the working area to prevent contamination.
11 Prepare a receptacle (impermeable plastic trash bag for disposable items).
As far as possible use articles possessed by family and the articles which are not
12
available with the family only those taken out from the bag.
Proceed in performing the necessary nursing care treatment to give comfort and
13
security and hasten recovery.
14 Clean all things that were used and perform hand washing.
Open the bag and return all things that were used in their proper places after cleaning
15
them.
Remove apron, folding it away from the person, the soiled side in and the clean side out
16
to protect the caregiver and prevent infection.
17 Close the bag.
18 Discard used disposable articles in an impermeable plastic trash bag.
Contaminated equipment or equipment that cannot be cleaned in the patient's home
may be transported for disinfection to the center in an impermeable sealed plastic bag.
19 Do not put these soiled items back into the health care bag. Never place used needles,
soiled equipment, or dressings in the nursing bag. Place it in impermeable sealed
plastic bag.
Dispose sharps in an approved sharps disposal container. The sharps container must be
20 kept in a separate 'dirty compartment or a designated sharps container pouch or in an
impermeable sealed plastic bag. Never put used sharps directly in the bag.
Make appointment for the next visit (either home or clinic) taking note of the date and
21
time for follow-up care.
 22 Follow local and state regulations for infectious waste disposal
EVALUATION AND DOCUMENTATION

 Record all relevant findings about the client and members of the family.
 Take note of environmental factors which affect the clients/family health.
 Include quality of nurse-patient relationship.
 Assess effectiveness of nursing care provided.
 When leaving the patient's home, pick up the bag and place the newspaper that was underneath it in
the family trash.

SUGGESTED READINGS

1. Matt V. Bag Technique in Nursing [online] available from http://nurseslabs.com/home-visits-bag-technique/

[Accessed 7.10.2016]

2. Online Nursing Cues. Registered Nurse Bag Technique: Principles and its Content. [online] available from
http://www. online-nursing-dot.com/registered-nurse-bag-technique html | Accessed 7.10.2016)

3. Hopkins. Health care bag technique [online] available from

http://www.hopkinsmedicalproducts.com/images/art/BagTechnique-Best-Practices-Hopkins-Medical.pdf |
Accessed from 7.10.2016]

4. Admin. Bag Technique. [online] available from http://nursingerib.com/nursing-notes-reviewer/community

health nursing bag-technique/ (Accessed 7.10.2016]

5. Bag technique. [online] available from http://suikoden 18.blogspot.in/2009/07/bag-technique.html (Accessed

7.10.2016]

6. Bag technique. [online] available from http://www.nursingbuddy.com/2010/10/23/bag-technique (Accessed

7.10.2016

7. Vera M. Nursing home visit. [online] available from http://nurseslabs.com/nursing-home-vint/Bag Technique

Preventing and Controlling Infections in Home Care and Hospice. Accessed 7.10.2016]

8. Home Health care Nurse. [online] available from

http://journals.lww.com/homehealthcaremuseonline/toc/2014/010002014;32(1):5-66,

9. Public health bag. [online] Available from https://www.wattpad.com/2684705 community health nursing-
public health-bag