Mastering Wound Care: How Do You Safely Change a Dressing to Minimize Infection Risk?
- Carefully wash and dry your hands.
- Put on your gloves.
- Remove the old dressing by loosening the edges of the tapes and peeling them off the skin.
- Lift the tapes and dressing off together, noting any odor or drainage color.
- Discard the dressing and tapes into a plastic bag.
- If the dressing sticks, pour the cleansing solution onto it and let it sit for a minute before gently removing it.
- Examine the wound, and report any concerning signs to your doctor or nurse.
- Clean the wound with a gauze pad soaked in the cleansing solution, using one stroke from top to bottom.
- Clean the surrounding skin using fresh gauze pads with a cleansing solution, working away from the wound.
- Remove your gloves and discard them into the plastic bag.
- Wash and dry your hands again.
- Open the package with the large gauze dressing.
- Put on clean gloves.
- Pick up the gauze dressing, holding it at two diagonally opposite corners.
- Center the gauze pad over the wound and place it on the wound.
- Tape the dressing securely in place.
- Remove your gloves and discard them into the plastic bag.
- Seal the bag securely and discard it into the trash.
- Wash and dry your hands once more.
- Consider using hypoallergenic tape, bandages, or binders for sensitive skin.
- Consult with your doctor or nurse as needed.
The equipment you will need to assemble includes:
- 2 pairs of clean disposable gloves,
- cleaning solution,
- small gauze pads for cleaning,
- large gauze pads for dressing the wound,
- adhesive tape,
- a large sealable plastic bag.
Carefully wash and dry your hands.
Put on your gloves.
The first step is to remove the old dressing.
Loosen the edges of the tapes and peel the tapes off the skin by pulling them towards the wound, keeping the skin taut with the other hand.
Lift the tapes and the dressing off together. Note any odor and the color of any drainage on the dressing.
Discard the dressing and tapes into the plastic bag
If the dressing sticks to the wound, pour a little cleansing solution onto the dressing and let it sit for a minute.
Gently pull the dressing off, keeping the skin taut above the wound.
Look carefully at the wound.
Any of the following should be reported immediately to your doctor or nurse:
- redness of the wound or surrounding skin,
- drainage from the wound, particularly if it’s yellow and smells,
- any bleeding,
- swelling of the skin around the wound,
- separation of the edges of a sutured wound,
- maceration, a waterlogged appearance of the edges of the wound.
Pour some cleansing solution onto a small gauze pad, squeeze out the surplus solution, and, with one stroke, clean the wound from top to bottom. Discard the gauze pad into the plastic bag.
Using a fresh gauze pad with a cleansing solution for each stroke, work away from the wound to clean the skin for about three inches from the wound on either side. Stroke from top to bottom and discard each gauze pad into the plastic bag.
Remove your gloves and discard them into the plastic bag.
Wash and dry your hands.
Open the package with the large gauze dressing.
Put on clean gloves.
Pick up the gauze dressing, holding it only at two diagonally opposite corners.
Center the gauze pad over the wound and place it on the wound.
Tape the dressing securely in place.
Remove your gloves and discard them into the plastic bag. Seal the bag securely and discard it into the trash
Wash and dry your hands.
If your skin is sensitive to the adhesive on the tape, hypoallergenic tape can be bought at your surgical supply store, or bandages or binders can be used to hold the dressing in place.
Consult with your doctor or nurse.
