Wound Dressing

wound dressing

• What is a wound dressing?
• Why is wound care required?
• Purpose of wound dressing
• For what types of wounds is dressing required?
• Acute Wounds
• Chronic wounds
• Types of wound care dressing
• How can skilled nurses aid in wound healing?
• Benefits of wound dressing at home
• References

WOUND DRESSING

What is a wound dressing?

When there is any injury or damage to the skin because of cuts, scrapes, scratches, abrasions, punctures or burns becomes a wound. The procedure performed to keep the wound clean, covered, and protected is called “wound dressing.”

Why is wound care required?

In India, the prevalence of wounds in the population studied was 15.03 per 1000. The prevalences of acute and chronic wounds were 10.55 and 4.48 per 1000 in the population, respectively. The most common site for both acute and chronic wounds was the lower extremity. The slow healing process of an acute wound tends to make it a chronic wound.

According to research, the aging population is diabetic, obese, and hypertensive, and those with vascular disease and immunocompromised are contributing factors to the rising need for wound care and should be treated immediately and vigorously to maximize healing and improve their quality of life.

Purpose of wound dressing

• Promote wound healing
• Keep the wound clean and warm
• Provide a moist environment to optimize re-epithelialization.
• Provide a protective physical barrier by covering the wound
• Absorb the wound drainage
• Hydrate the wound if it is dry or desiccated
• Protect the surrounding wound area
• Prevents dryness of the wound
• Help in debridement
• Provide compression
• Aid in speedy recovery

For what types of wounds is dressing required?

Acute Wounds

Wounds that are expected to go through the normal and sequential healing process and result in healing and closure of the wound. These wounds tend to heal within a short duration, without complications. E.g. Surgical Wounds and traumatic wounds.

Chronic wounds

Wounds that do not advance through the normal and orderly healing process thereby failing to repair and restore the functional integrity of the skin. These wounds take many weeks or even months to heal and may lead to many secondary complications. E.g. Venous ulcers and arterial ulcers, Diabetic ulcers/neuropathy ulcers, Pressure ulcers/bedsores, etc.

Types of wound care dressing

• Alginate dressing: A dry form to absorb wound fluid used for moderate to heavy wound
• Tulle: A non-adherent dressing impregnated with paraffin.
• Collagen: For burns, severe and thick wounds
• Plastic film dressing: To absorb exudates and hold the dressing in place
• Foam dressing — For moderate to heavy exudate wound
• Hydrogel dressing — used for dry and painful wounds
• Hydrocolloid dressing: used for necrotic and granular sounds

How can skilled nurses aid in wound healing?

Wound dressing performed by skilled nurses has shown remarkable improvement in the wound healing process. The nurses:

• Performs the procedure by maintaining aseptic techniques
• Provides timely care to the patient by cleaning and dressing the wound
• Provides information and education about wound care
• Perform wound assessment, by checking the condition of the wound by noticing the healing process, surrounding skin, presence of exudates, pain, or any signs of infection.
• Documenting the findings and reporting to the Physician.

Benefits of wound dressing at home

• Helps in avoiding complexities and keeping it simple. Skilled nurses can provide the same wound carinate in the comfort of your home.
• It is time-saving and convenient. They can avoid travel and waiting time at the hospitals. They can avoid further unnecessary pain and further injury
• Prevent infection caused because of unnecessary exposure in the hospital
• Get a better understanding of the wound care techniques from the nurse who will educate and focus on individual patient
• Gain knowledge and information about preventing complications and boosting healing
• Avoid unwanted stress and strain as they perform the entire procedure at home where the patient is comfortable and is cared for by the nurse and the family.

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References

• de Leon J, Bohn G, DiDomenico L, Fearmonti R, Gottlieb H. Wound care centres: critical thinking and treatment strategies for wounds. Wounds. 2016;28:S1–S23.
• Gerstein AD, Phillips TJ, Rogers GS, Gilchrest BA. Wound healing and aging. Dermatol Clin. 1993 Oct;11(4):749–57. PMID: 8222358.
• Gupta N, Gupta SK, Shukla VK, Singh SP. An Indian community-based epidemiological study of wounds. J Wound Care. 2004 Sep;13(8):323–5. doi: 10.12968/jowc.2004.13.8.26657. PMID: 15469216.
• Negut I, Grumezescu V, Grumezescu AM. Treatment Strategies for Infected Wounds. Molecules. 2018 Sep 18;23(9):2392. doi: 10.3390/molecules23092392. PMID: 30231567; PMCID: PMC6225154.
• Obagi Z, Damiani G, Grada A, Falanga V. Principles of Wound Dressings: A Review. Surg Technol Int. 2019 Nov 10;35:50–57. PMID: 31480092.
• Ward J, Holden J, Grob M, Soldin M. Management of wounds in the community: five principles. Br J Community Nurs. 2019 Jun 1;24(Sup6):S20-S23. doi: 10.12968/bjcn.2019.24.Sup6.S20. PMID: 31166795.
• Wicke C, Bachinger A, Coerper S, Beckert S, Witte MB, Königsrainer A. Aging influences wound healing in patients with chronic lower extremity wounds treated in a specialized wound care centre. Wound Repair Regen. 2009;17:25–33.
• https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-021-02676-y#:~:text=Tissue%20repair%20capacity%20worsens%20with,wound%20becoming%20chronic%20%5B5%5D.
• https://intermountainhealthcare.org/blogs/topics/live-well/2017/04/chronic-wounds-affect-65-million-in-us/