Bedpan

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This article is about the item of medical equipment. For the Bedford to St Pancras railway line known colloquially as the Bedpan service, see Thameslink.

A bedpan is a toileting facility, usually consisting of a metal, glass, or plastic receptacle for urinary and fecal discharge. It is typically used in the case of bedridden persons. Many diseases can confine a patient to bed, necessitating the use of bedpans, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, apoplexia cerebri and dementia.

Conventional bedpans can cause problems, because a steel bedpan is cold, hard and uncomfortable. Also, the supporting area is very small and prolonged use can cause pressure ulcers. To solve these problems, new ergonomic bedpans have been developed, which support the patient with a larger area of warm plastic. Some designs completely cover the genitalia during use, offering protection and an extra measure of privacy. In recent years, the new style bedpan liner(bed pan) made by recycled pulp is more popular in European hospitals; it is low cost and also single-use, decreasing the risk of cross-communicated disease.