Question

Using current evidence based practice, what would a patient do to aid surgical incision heal faster.

Answer 1

Ans) To promote wound healing, closely monitor fluid & promote nutritional needs such as:
Food rich in protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamin A, C & zink promote wound healing.

Wound Dressing: Gauze
- Oldest and most common dressing
- Are absorbent and especially useful in wounds to wick away the wound exudate
- Can be saturated with solutions and used to clean and pack a wound
- When used to pack a wound, the gauze is saturated with the solution (normally NS), wrung out, unfolded and lightly packed into the wound = purpose is to provide moisture to the wound yet to allow wound drainage to be wicked into the gauze pad

Wound Dressing: Non-adherent pads
- Use with wounds that have little or no drainage
- Does not stick to incisions or wound openings but allows drainage to pass through to the gauze topper
- i.e. Telfa

- If a patient with an abdominal incision begins to cough, Apply a pillow to the incision with slight pressure.Applying a pillow will help reduce stress on the incision.

- Appropriate way to cleanse the wound and surrounding area:
- Using an aseptic swab, start from the incision outward, one stroke per swab, then allow to air-dry.
- Using an aseptic swab and starting from the incision outward helps to remove bacteria from the wound area and prevents contaminating a previously cleaned area. The wound needs to be cleaned with aseptic solution before applying a dressing to prevent contamination. When cleaning the wound, a new swab needs to be used for each stroke to prevent wound contamination. When cleaning a wound, you need to start on the side farthest from you to prevent contaminating an area already cleaned.