Throw away your sterile gloves

[ohbet]

I recently attended a wound care class. The instructor lectures all over the country on wound care,and has lots of credentials.

Any way,she said wound care does not require sterile tecnique,its a clean procedure. The only thing to remember is that any equipment and supplies you take into the room to do the wound treatment must stay in the room.

Well thats news to me. I was taught to use sterlie tecnique for wounds.All the texts also say to use sterile gloves.

She also said its unneccesary to culture wounds.

Is this how you perform wound care,using only clean gloves? and do you still culture wounds?

[Dazedgiggle]

I'll use clean gloves for superficial wounds, incisions, etc., but for anything deeper than an abrasion, I use sterile technique! This is how I was taught, how everyone I work with does it (including the wound team) and what the books I've read say. Maybe something new is coming down the pike, who knows. I don't understand how it's not necessary to culture wounds? Obviously, if it's a clean wound with no signs of infection, we don't culture, but we always culture everything if we suspect the patient has an infection somewhere. Don't know if this helps much, but that's what I do.

[WashYaHands]

I agree with dazed (superficial - clean, deep, open or gaping - sterile). I'd say that it is necessary to culture wounds. If you don't know which bacteria is causing the infection, you can't know which antibiotic to use to treat it.

Linda

[Rena RN 2003, RN]

at our facility, we use only clean gloves to do treatment for pressure ulcers and such. they do however still culture to see what we are up against as far as infection goes. if you don't know what it is, it's kinda hard to treat it properly.

[sunnygirl272]

i do homecare and sterile wound care is a rarity..theory being, it's their own environment=their own germs....caths, neph tube dressingchanges, picc/central line dressing changes remain sterile...

[renerian, BSN, RN]

WE use clean gloves for all wound care and sterile for central lines. That is it.

renerian

[Repat]

Our hospital is changing policy to require sterile technique for all wound care.

[NurseLKY]

Our wound nurse says the same thing. The wound is not clean so there is no need for sterile gloves. She never uses them. I haven't seen anyone die from an infection.

[kewlnurse]

Sterile gloves with the exceptiohn of stage I and II pressure ulcers. Don't need to culture? Big difference in treatment for a unifected wound vs. a vre or mrsa wound don't you think?

[live4today, RN]

I was also taught to use sterile technique when performing wound care....especially deep wound care. Interesting??? :)

[Genista, BSN, RN]

I too was taught to use sterile technique with all wound care. (This was just 4 years ago). About a year ago, I was virtually blown away when I was helping our hospital's cert. wound/ostomy/skin care RN.She told me that only clean technique is needed with most wounds. She is very up to date in her knowledge, and I do trust her. However,we were changing a VAC dressing (vacuum assisted closure) of a HUGE abdominal wound. This wound was GIGANTIC and DEEP. We used CLEAN gloves only.

[thisnurse]

clean for wound care and sterile for central lines