A patient comes into the emergency department with a fear of developing poison ivy after falling while walking through a wooded area earlier in the day. What should the nurse instruct the patient to do if exposure to poison ivy occurs again?
a. Flood the area with cold water.
b. Wrap the area with a thick towel.
c. Cover the area with cotton gauze.
d. Wash the area with brown soap or any soap.
ANS: D
The patient should be instructed to wash the area with a brown soap (e.g., Fels-Naptha) or, if unavailable, any soap when contact with the offending agent is suspected. This removes the offending agent from the skin. A. Cold water is not going to remove the agent from the skin. B. C. Wrapping the area with a towel or gauze is going to trap the offending agent on the skin and make the skin reaction worse.
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