Wound care

Nurse : Good morning Mr Johnson. This is Miss Martins, the trainee nurse. She will help you change your dressing and show you how to do it once you get home. I’ll be guiding her all along the procedure, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Miss Martins, first of all, and as I guess you already know, hand cleansing is extremely important before you change any dressing. That also applies to you Mr Johnson.

Trainee : Sure, we can use an alcohol-based cleanser.

Nurse : You may also wash your hands. But remember to take off all jewellery. First, wet your hands under warm running water, add soap and lather them by rubbing your hands together. Then rinse well for 15 to 30 seconds and dry with a clean towel.

Patient : Please be careful when you remove the old dressing. I’m afraid it might be painful.

Nurse : Don’t worry Mr Johnson. We’ll be careful.

Trainee : What are the gestures that can be done to avoid causing pain to the patient ?

Nurse : After the usual hand washing and before ?touching the dressing, make sure all the supplies are at hand and that the work surface is clean.

Trainee : And then ?

Nurse : We’ll do it directly with Mr Johnson.?Please sir, carefully loosen the tape from your skin. You can use this clean medical glove to grab the dressing and pull it off.

Patient : I think that the dressing is stuck to the wound.

Nurse : Ok, my colleague will wet the wound so you can pull it off easily.

Trainee : Now that it’s done, you can pull it off. Place the dressing in this plastic bag so that we can set it aside. Take off the gloves and use this alcohol-based gel to clean your hands.

Patient : And how should I clean the wound once home ?

Trainee : That’s easy. We’ll do it together again. But you must not clean the wound itself. The skin around the wound should be cleaned with a gauze pad or soft cloth soaked in salt water or mild soapy water. Now gently wipe the skin around the wound.

Nurse : At home, you should be careful not to use any skin cleanser, alcohol or iodine or soap with antibacterial chemicals. These can damage the wound tissues and slow the healing. Miss Martins, please show Mr Johnson how to put on a new dressing.

Trainee : Simply place the clean dressing softly on the wound, and clean your hands when you’re done.

Nurse : Don’t forget to place the medical waste and other used supplies in a waterproof plastic bag. Close it tightly and double it before throwing it away into the trash. You should also remember to wash any soiled laundry from the dressing change separately from other laundry in order to prevent any infection. And Mr Jonhson, just one more thing. You should call your doctor or a private practice nurse if you notice any abnormal redness, pain, swelling or bleeding of the wound. Or if the wound looks larger or deeper, dried out or dark, or if it leaks pus, or your temperature is 38 or higher.