A patient with a wound is prescribed wet-to-dry dressings. What should the nurse do prior to performing a dressing change for this patient?

Question

a. Assist the patient to void
b. Medicate the patient for pain
c. Wash hands and apply sterile gloves
d. Moisten the dressing before removing

Answer 1

ANS: B
For wet-to-dry dressings, the wet gauze is placed directly on the wound and allowed to dry completely. The drying process causes the gauze to adhere to the wound; when it is pulled off, tissue is pulled off with it. This results in nonselective debridement because viable tissue may also be removed in this process. These methods are painful, so the patient should be pre-medicated for pain and assessed often. A. The patient does not need to void before the dressing is changed. C. The hands should be washed but sterile gloves are not needed to remove the old dressing. D. Moistening the dressing before removing hinders the intended effect.