Question

A nurse is preparing to do wound care on several patients. Which patients would need sterile gloves?

a) Emptying portable wound suction
b) Irrigating an abdominal wound
c) Applying a dry dressing to a surgical wound
d) Applying hydrocolloid dressing to a coccygeal ulcer

Answer 1

Sterile gloves are necessary when direct contact with open wounds or sterile areas is involved. For the scenarios given, this includes irrigating an abdominal wound and applying a dry dressing to a surgical wound.

Step-by-step explanation:

The use of sterile gloves is critical when performing invasive procedures where there is direct contact with a patient’s open wounds or sterile tissue to prevent infection. Typically, sterile gloves would be indicated in situations where a high degree of sterility is required to protect an open wound from contamination.

Looking at the provided options, using sterile gloves would be appropriate in the following scenarios:

• Irrigating an abdominal wound - This is a direct contact with a wound that is potentially open to the body's internal environment.
• Applying a dry dressing to a surgical wound - Once again, there is direct contact with an open wound that has been surgically created.

Meanwhile, the other tasks such as emptying portable wound suction or applying a hydrocolloid dressing to a coccygeal ulcer may not necessarily require sterile gloves as they may not involve direct contact with sterile tissue or have a lower risk of introducing infection.

In conclusion, the patients requiring sterile gloves for wound care would be those where the nurse is irrigating an abdominal wound and applying a dry dressing to a surgical wound.