Safe wound care in the home requires adapting clinical standards to an uncontrolled environment. Every step either introduces organisms or excludes them. Nothing is neutral.

Section 01

Preparation Before Wound Care

1

Gather all supplies before starting

Everything needed before beginning. Reaching for supplies mid-procedure requires removing soiled gloves and re-gloving, or contaminating clean supplies with soiled gloves.

2

Prepare the work surface

Clean with a disinfectant wipe. Place a waterproof pad or clean towel as a working surface. The bedside table or wheelchair tray works — but must be cleaned first.

3

Position client and lighting

Good lighting on the wound site — use a flashlight if room lighting is inadequate. You cannot assess what you cannot see.

4

Hand hygiene

Thorough hand hygiene immediately before donning gloves. This is WHO Moment 2 — before a clean/aseptic procedure.

Section 02

Removing the Old Dressing

  • Don clean gloves before touching the old dressing
  • Loosen gently: Moisten adherent dressings with saline — never pull dry adherent dressings away forcefully. Forceful removal damages healing tissue.
  • Observe before discarding: Note amount, color, consistency, and odor of drainage on the old dressing — clinical data. Compare to last change.
  • Dispose immediately in a sealable bag — not left on the work surface
  • Remove gloves and perform hand hygiene before touching new supplies
Section 03

Wound Cleaning

💡 Cleaning principles
Normal saline is the most commonly ordered wound cleaning solution — isotonic and does not damage healing tissue.

  • Pour, don't dip — pour solution onto gauze rather than dipping gauze into the bottle. Dipping contaminates the bottle.
  • Clean from wound outward — center to periphery for surgical wounds. Prevents bringing peripheral organisms into the wound.
  • Use each gauze once — never return used gauze to the wound after wiping.
Section 04

Applying the New Dressing

  • Don new clean or sterile gloves as specified by care plan
  • Handle dressings by outer surfaces only: Wound-contact surface must not be touched before application
  • Apply per care plan: Dressing type and method are clinically specified — do not substitute without nurse direction
  • Label the dressing: Write date and time on outer surface — allows next caregiver or nurse to know when it was last changed
Section 05

After Wound Care

✓ Complete the care safely
  • Dispose of all wound care waste in a sealable bag
  • Clean the working surface again
  • Remove gloves and perform hand hygiene
  • Reposition client for comfort
  • Document immediately while observations are fresh
  • Report any significant changes to the supervising nurse
Knowledge Check

Lesson 3 Quiz

5 questions · Passing score: 80%
Question 1
All wound care supplies should be gathered before beginning because:
Question 2
When removing an adherent wound dressing stuck to the wound bed, you should:
Question 3
When pouring wound cleaning solution onto gauze you should pour from the bottle rather than dipping because:
Question 4
After applying a new wound dressing, labeling it with date and time serves to:
Question 5
After removing the old dressing and before touching new sterile supplies, the caregiver must: