BAND AID or NOT

[houstonlvn]

Okay, boy do I feel silly asking, BUT REALLY I can't decide what is best in this case. I recently went from hosp nursing to a correctional type trade school for adolescents. We use alot of band aids as seems the kids always get cuts. It is so hot down here in summer that if they wear the band aid

more than one day, it becomes very sweaty/soggy and white underneath.(and am talking abt very minor cuts that really didn't even bleed or not bleed very much)

SO wondering is it preferable to let band aid stay on and be so wet underneath (slower healing?/nice wet place for germs to breed?)

or take off at night and if it scabs over, leave band aid off. I read there are studies (which I can't find) that supposedly say keeping covered

till heals is better, but I can't find them to read, :rolleyes:and does that mean for enviroments that are outdoors and over HOT. What do you think?

ANYbody know?

[justme1972]

Okay, boy do I feel silly asking, BUT REALLY I can't decide what is best in this case. I recently went from hosp nursing to a correctional type trade school for adolescents. We use alot of band aids as seems the kids always get cuts. It is so hot down here in summer that if they wear the band aid

more than one day, it becomes very sweaty/soggy and white underneath.(and am talking abt very minor cuts that really didn't even bleed or not bleed very much)

SO wondering is it preferable to let band aid stay on and be so wet underneath (slower healing?/nice wet place for germs to breed?)

or take off at night and if it scabs over, leave band aid off. I read there are studies (which I can't find) that supposedly say keeping covered

till heals is better, but I can't find them to read, :rolleyes:and does that mean for enviroments that are outdoors and over HOT. What do you think?

ANYbody know?

I would wager, keep it covered until that night...by then, most germs would be locked out, a good scab would form and the inflammatory response is going to do it's thing.

The next morning, I would probably take it off before showering and then ditch it.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

My mom never gave us Band-aids - she insisted wounds healed better exposed to air.

[deyo321]

Correctional facilities with close quaters and increased heat are a petri dish. Actively draining wounds must be covered. If the area is becoming macerated remove them from work detail and do more freq dressing changes, until you can get a handle on it. Small cuts and scrapes? Cleanse, abx oint and cover til active bleeding stops. Then take it case by case. I have used a smear of abx oint as a wound sheild on small areas or areas that are difficult to cover. Nursing is creative.

Now my personal preference is open to air. But I don't live in a correctional environment. (It just feels that way sometimes). These guys mostly walk around all day like Al Bundy with their hands in their waistbands, then use the phone, play cards etc.

I think the last I read wounds that are allowed to scab over will leave a more prominent scar, if it is picked and reformed freq. That said a scab is a natural shield to bacteria. I would not have them wear a bandaid more then one day. If it is a small cut tell them to remove at HS. If not to see nurse in AM.

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

I would say that a small cut should be covered at least overnight...when the band aid becomes moist/cruddy, remove it and assess the wound. If it is still open(no scab, open section,) or if they are still going to be working...they should probably still have something over it....

Is there any room in the facility for the liquid band-aid stuff? If they are going to be working, something should be covering that wound. just my .02

[NurseyPoo7]

Tegaderm it?

[StrwbryblndRN]

I believe it to be a cast by case thing. If it is a minor scrape with nothing oozing/bleeding then I believe to leave it. (Of course clean and let air dry it)

I generally do not put band-aids on my kids or myself and boy are they dirty. If I do then it is to catch any ooze. Usually a couple of hours tops. This is more for everyone else's protections vs the wound.

[Murse901, MSN, RN]

I think it really depends on the severity of the wound. For a very minor scrape or cut, I'd just TAO it and leave it open. Any bleeding/drainage at all, cover it.

However, wouldn't it be more effective (not to mention cheaper) for your facility to use 4x4's and tape?

[nessajune21]

BANDAID!

A moist environment is helpful for wound healing because:

- it prevents tissue dehydration

- increases breakdown of dead tissue

- facilitates angiogenesis in the wound bed

- dermal repair is faster

If you used an occlusive type of bandaid, then you wouldn't get the white super moist skin underneath and it is impermeable to environmental bacteria.

[houstonlvn]

Wow, Thanks for the input, and basically the "I'm thinking on the right path" nod as it is case by case for me, and MOST of the cuts are so little that MOST of us would not even bother with band aid except for the first little bit.

As long as it bleeds, drains, looks open, or even big scab I think if gonna get knocked off fast I cover it.

THANK YOU EVERYONE for your opinions. At my job I am alone alot, and do not really care for it, and that's after 25 yr's of great nursing experience. I cringe at the thought of a new licensed nurse walking into a job like this, and I tell you these people would hire cheap than hire right titles and experience. (oh well, that's a vent, and another story) LOL

[Babs0512]

I injured my knee from a fall. I thought I would cover the abrasion with neosporin and band aid, thinking it would heal faster. Wrong. Just kept it wet and moist, and puss filled. Squeezed our the puss and left it open to air, healed fine.

Letting the wound become macerated due to sweating in a hot climate, is asking for trouble, in my opinion. I believe air dry is better for superficial boo boos.