Superficial skin tear on coccyx/buttock

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Specializes in BNAT instructor, ICU, Hospice,triage.

I am no wound nurse by any stretch of the imagination, but our protocol says to use a "colloid dressing". And the nursing home that I visit(I'm a Hospice nurse), hates any dressings on these, and pretty much refused to do that, so we ended up putting a cream BID and PRN. Patient is not incontinent, but is end stage COPD, ambulatory with a walker, and has a APP bed, and an egg crate pad in her wheel chair.

What do you recommend? Patient is stating that this is the number one source of pain right now.

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For something that is causing significant pain, my question would be is the wound infected? Also, if it is on the patient's buttock I would use an offloading type of dressing, maybe like Tielle light border, mepilex border, duoderm, or even hydrophillic foam with a border dressing over it to cushion it. I think it is a little silly for the nursing home to not want a wound dressed, even if it is covered with something not medicated and non adherent just to protect/potentially lower bioburden. And also, if it makes the patient feel better to place a dressing on it, they're hospice for goodness sake, do what you do best and comfort the patient :)

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Specializes in BNAT instructor, ICU, Hospice,triage.

Do you avoid putting a dressing on it, if they are incontinent?

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