WOUND care and Therapeutic communication

Wound Care Class Activity

Mr. Peters had abdominal surgery. He was discharged with medications and instructions to change the wet to dry dressing in the wound three times a day. The RN gave the dismissal instructions in a hurry because the hospital needed the bed for a new patient. When the RN asked Mr. and Mrs. Peters “Do you know what to do when you get home?” They both nodded yes. Mr. and Mrs. Peters spoke limited English.

After a few days Mrs. Peters contacted the nurse advice line to ask how many days she had to wait before she should replace the white dressing in the wound. With further questioning, the nurse realized Mrs. Peters was taking the gauze out of the wound, then rinsing it in the sink, and putting it back in the wound. The patient was readmitted for an infection and needed an additional follow-up surgery due to the infection complications.

1. What steps could the nursing team take to improve patient education for wound care for this patient & his wife?

2. What body language might indicate a patient or family member may not fully understand compliance with their medical care

3. What changes can be made to prevent this from happening again

4. What potential wound complications would you want to include in the patient teaching? What are the signs and symptoms that the patient should look for, which could indicate complications?