Lecture: Bag Technique in Midwifery

The bag technique is a tool by which the midwife, during her visit will enable her to perform
procedures with ease and deftness, to save time and effort with the end view of rendering
effective care to clients.

The public health bag is an essential and indispensable equipment of a public health midwife
which she must carry along during her home visits. It contains basic medication and articles
which are necessary for giving care.

Principles

Performing the bag technique will minimize, if not, prevent the spread of any infection.

It saves time and effort in the performance of nursing procedures.

The bag technique can be performed in a variety of ways depending on the agency’s policy,
the home situation, or if principles of avoiding transfer of infection is always observed.

Contents

The following are the contents of a Public Health Bag:

 Paper lining  Tape measure
 Extra paper for making waste bag  1 pair of sterile gloves
 Plastic/linen lining  Baby’s scale
 Apron  Alcohol lamp
 Hand towel  2 test tubes
 Soap in a soap dish  Test tube holders
 Thermometers (oral and rectal)  Solutions of:
 2 pairs of scissors (surgical and o Betadine
bandage) o 70% alcohol
 2 pairs of forceps (curved and straight) o Zephiran solution
 Disposable syringes (5ml and 2ml with o Hydrogen peroxide
needles (g. 23 & 25) o Hydrogen peroxide
 Hypodermic needles (g. 19, 22, 23, 25) o Spirit of ammnonia
 Sterile dressings (OS, cotton balls) o Ophthalmic ointment
 Cotton balls o Acetic acid
 Cord clamp o Benedict’s solution
 Micropore plaster
*BP apparatus and stethoscope are carried separately and are never placed in the bag.

Points to consider:
1. The bag should contain all the necessary articles, supplies and equipment that will be
used to answer the emergency needs.
2. The bag and its contents should be cleaned very often, the supplies replaced and
ready for use anytime.
3. The bag and its contents should be well protected from contact with any article in the
patient’s home.
4. Consider the bag and its contents clean and sterile, while articles that belong to the
patients as dirty and contaminated.
5. The arrangement of the contents of the bag should be the one most convenient to
the user, to facilitate efficiency and avoid confusion.
 6. Hand washing is done as frequently as the situation calls for, helps in minimizing or
avoiding contamination of the bag and its contents.
7. The bag when used for a communicable case should be thoroughly cleaned and
disinfected before keeping and re-using.

Steps
The following are steps in performing bag technique and rationale for each action:
PROCEDURE RATIONALE
1. Upon arriving at the client’s home, place To protect the bag from getting contaminated.
the bag on the table or any flat surface lined
with paper lining, clean side out (folded part
touching the table). Put the bag’s handles or
strap beneath the bag.

2. Ask for a basin of water and a glass of To be used for hand washing. To protect the
water if faucet is not available. Place these work field from being wet.
outside the work area.

3. Open the bag, take the linen/plastic lining, To make a non-contaminated work field or area.
and spread over work field or area. The
paper lining, clean side out (folded part out).

4. Take out hand towel, soap dish and apron To prepare for handwashing.
and the place them at one corner of the work
area (within the confines of the linen/plastic
lining).

5. Do handwashing. Wipe, dry with towel. Handwashing prevents possible infection from
Leave the plastic wrappers of the towel in a one care provider to the client.
soap dish in the bag.

6. Put on apron right side out and wrong side To protect the nurses’ uniform. Keeping the
with crease touching the body, sliding the crease creates aesthetic appearance
head into the neck strap. Neatly tie the
straps at the back.

7. Put out things most needed for the To make them readily accessible.
specific case (e.g.) thermometer, kidney
basin, cotton ball, wastepaper bag) and place
at one corner of the work area.

8. Place wastepaper bag outside of work To prevent contamination of clean area.

area.

9. Close the bag. To prevent contamination of bag and contents.

 10. Proceed to the specific nursing care or To give comfort and security, maintain personal
treatment. hygiene and hasten recovery.

11. After completing nursing care or To protect caregiver and prevent spread of
treatment, clean and alcoholize the things infection to others.
used.

12. Do handwashing again.

13. Open the bag and put back all articles in

their proper places.

14. Remove apron folding away from the

body, with soiled side folded inwards, and
the clean side out.

15. Fold the linen/plastic lining, clean; place

it in the bag and close the bag.

16. Make post-visit conference on matters To be used as reference for future visit.
relevant to health care, taking anecdotal
notes preparatory to final reporting.

17. Make appointment for the next visit For follow-up care.
(either home or clinic), taking note of the
date, time, and purpose.

After Care
Before keeping all articles in the bag, clean and alcoholize them.

1. Get the bag from the table, fold the paper lining ( and insert), and place in between
the flaps and cover the bag.

Evaluation and Documentation

Record all relevant findings about the client and members of the family.

1. Take note of environmental factors which affect the clients/family health.

2. Include quality of nurse-patient relationship.

3. Assess effectiveness of nursing care provided.

Reference:

Community Health Nursing Services in the Philippines, DOH