Bandages and Dressings Health Article

Preparation

Wounds require appropriate cleaning, debridement, closure, and medication before bandages and dressings are applied.

Determining the cause of wounds is often very important, especially the cause of chronic wounds such as skin ulcers. A physician should be advised of any signs of infection or other changes in a wound.

Wound-care nursing is a rapidly advancing field that requires considerable training, clinical experience, and judgment, causing some observers to predict that it will eventually develop into an advanced practice nursing or a specialty-based practice. Increasingly, the demands on wound-care nurses are expected to require that they undertake graduate studies. For all nurses working in the field, ongoing education is a must to keep up with new knowledge, technologies, and techniques. Numerous organizations and institutions offer continuing education courses in wound care management.

Results

Wounds that receive appropriate and timely care are most likely to heal in an acceptable manner.

See also Incision care; Wound care.

BOOKS

Brown, P., D. Oddo, and J. P. Maloy. Quick Reference to Wound Care. Boston: Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2003.

Mani, Raj. Chronic Wound Management: The Evidence for Change. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2002.

Milne, C. T., L. Q. Corbett, and D. Duboc. Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing Secrets. Philadelphia: Hanley & Belfus, 2002.

Peitzman, Andrew B. The Trauma Manual, 2nd Edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2002.

PERIODICALS

Atiyeh, B. S., K. A. El-Musa, and R. Dham. "Scar Quality and Physiologic Barrier Function Restoration after Moist and Moist-exposed Dressings of Partial-thickness Wounds." Dermatolic Surgery 29 no. 1 (2003): 14–20.

King, B. "Pain at First Dressing Change after Toenail Avulsion: The Experience of Nurses, Patients and an Observer: 1." Journal of Wound Care 12 no. 1 (2003): 5–10.

Ovington, Liza G., PhD. "Know Your Options for Secondary Dressings." Wound Care Newsletter 2, no. 4 July 1997 [cited March 24, 2003]. <http://www.woundcare.org/news vol2n4/prpt2.htm>.

Skelhorne, G., and H. Munro. "Hydrogel Adhesives for Wound-care Applications." Medical Device Technology 13 no. 9 (2002): 19–23.

St. Clair, K., and J. H. Larrabee. "Clean versus Sterile Gloves: Which to Use for Postoperative Dressing Changes?" Outcomes Management 6 no. 1 (2002): 17–21.

ORGANIZATIONS

American Academy of Family Physicians. 11400 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Leawood, KS 66211-2672. (913) 906-6000. E-mail: <fp@aafp.org>. <http://www.aafp.org>.

American College of Physicians. 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106-1572. (800) 523-1546, x2600, or (215) 351-2600. <http://www.acponline.org>.

American Medical Association. 515 N. State Street, Chicago, IL 60610. (312) 464-5000. <http://www.ama-assn.org>.

American Nurses Association. 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Suite 100 West, Washington, DC 20024. (800) 274-4262. <http://www.nursingworld.org>.

American Red Cross National Headquarters. 2025 E Street, NW, Washington DC 20006. (202)303-4498. <http://www.redcross.org>.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. PO Box 372, CH-1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland. +41 22 730 42 22. Email: secretariat@ifrc.org. <http://www.ifrc.org>.

Search and Rescue Society of British Columbia. PO Box 1146, Victoria, BC V8W 2T6. (250)384-6696. Email:sarbc.org. <http://www.sarbc.org>.

Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society. 1550 South Coast Highway, Suite #201, Laguna Beach, CA 92651. (888) 224-9626. <http://www.wocn.org>.

OTHER

National Library of Medicine. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/firstaidemergencies.html.> [cited March 24, 2003].

L. Fleming Fallon, Jr, MD, DrPH