Sterile Dressing Change question

[Student4Now]

Hi all,

When doing a sterile dressing change, doesnt the field become contaminated every time you reach over to grab an item? Will someone explain this to me?

[agldragonRN]

hi all,

when doing a sterile dressing change, doesnt the field become contaminated every time you reach over to grab an item? will someone explain this to me?

no, you assign your other hand to be the "dirty" hand touching the pt and the other hand to be the "clean" one touching the sterile stuff. your "clean" hand could keep grabbing stuff from the sterile filed as long as it has not been contaminated yet.

for me example, i would designate my left one to be the dirty one touching the pt and my right hand touching the sterile stuff and make sure my right hand does not touch anything that is not sterile. touching sterile to sterile remains sterile no matter how many times you grab an item from the sterile field.

[Student4Now]

Oh ok great!what about tape? If I pre-cut my tape and have it ready to go, I am only supposed to use my right hand to apply it- is that right?

[agldragonRN]

well, once you are on the taping part, that means the wound is already covered and just need taping and just about done with the dressing change so i would use both my hands taping it as i no longer need to touch any sterile stuff.

your skills book has step by step instructions so you should follow that. there may be some variations from different authors.

[BabyLady, BSN, RN]

You can carry sterile items over a sterile field but contaminated items should be moved AROUND the sterile field.

Here is why:

Bacteria is made of cells. Cells have mass. Anything that has mass has weight. If they have weight, they can fall.

It's really that simple.

So...when you are performing a sterile procedure and pick up something dirty...run through your mind that it's "dripping" germs and that will remind you on what to do with it.

[patrick.gines]

Putting on the dressing and tape is a clean procedure so you dont have to worry about getting your hands contaminated.

[ayla2004, ASN, RN]

I was taught and do clean to dirty in to out if clean a wound.

once the wound is cleaned and primary dressing insitu you can stop the aspectic technique and use both hands pick up addiontal items bandage etc.

hey i found it really hard to remember which hand was dirty which was clea but i put my right hand as a dirty one as i am right handed and more likely to reach for items with that hand.7

Oh think very carefully as you are setting up do you ahve everying needed on you sterile field before putting on sterile gloves.

[BabyLady, BSN, RN]

Putting on the dressing and tape is a clean procedure so you dont have to worry about getting your hands contaminated.

Depends on the dressing. Some dressing changes are performed under sterile procedure.

Even in a clean procedure you DO have to worry about your hands being contaminated.

Even in a clean procedure, once you clean a contaminated wound before you apply the dressing you should change your gloves.

If you are not doing that, then you are just re-introducing the same germs that you are trying to remove.

[NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN]

It's interesting because we practiced the sterile field so many times, and I always found myself contaminating my sterile field all the time. But when it came time to actually apply the sterile field during clinical rotation, I watched my sterile field like a hawk and I didn't contaminate the field not once. I was so proud of myself.