Dressing Changes
Dressings are best changed in a team setting with another radiologic and imaging sciences professional. The physician is responsible for ordering dressing changes and reapplication. Be sure to secure privacy for the patient. Explain the procedure to the patient. Secure consent before beginning the procedure. All dressings are treated as though they are infected.
Dressing Removal
1. Do not touch a dressing with bare hands.
2. The hands are washed and patient privacy and consent are obtained.
3. Inform the patient of what you are about to do.
4. The adhesive tape surrounding the dressing is removed.
5. Use care in removing the dressing to prevent cross contaminating the wound and yourself. Remove the dressing gently to avoid hurting the patient.
6. The dressing is removed with forceps or gloved hands, wrapped and placed in the plastic bag. Place the soiled dressing in a plastic bag and seal it before adding it to the biohazard container.
7. Remove your gloves following the same procedure used with isolation techniques. Perform hand hygiene.
Applying a Sterile Dressing
Prepare supplies:
1. Sterile gloves
2. Sterile drape
3. Sterile gauze
4. Tape
5. Normal saline
For reapplication, sterile technique is followed.
1. Tell the patient what you plan to do.
2. The hands are washed and the sterile towel is opened to use as a sterile field on which to place sterile dressings.
3. Open the dressing package and add the sterile dressing to your sterile field.
4. Tear several strips of tape to a convenient length. Because the tape is not sterile, it is placed near but not on the sterile field.
6. If you will need to cleanse around the wound, drop sterile gauze sponges into your field for this purpose.
7. To moisten the gauze sponges, open a small vial of sterile normal saline solution. Recheck the label and pour a small amount of the saline over the sponges. Do not allow liquid to soak through to the sterile towel. Check the label for the third time before discarding the vial.
8. Don sterile gloves using the open method described for sterile gloving.
9. Use the moist sponges to clean gently around the wound.
10. Allow the area to dry completely.
11. Apply the dressing over the wound, and secure it in place with tape.
12. Cover the patient.
13. Dispose of any waste according to the institutional policy.
14. Remove your gloves.
15. Perform hand hygiene.