Final answer:
To maintain a sterile field, a nurse should use the method of separating sealed flaps and dropping sterile items onto the field, as touching the items or letting them contact non-sterile surfaces can introduce contamination.
Step-by-step explanation:
To maintain a sterile field during a dressing change, the nurse should correctly add paper-wrapped sterile items to avoid contamination. The correct method to add these items is B.) Separate the sealed flaps and drop contents onto field. This approach ensures that sterility is maintained throughout the process, which is crucial in medical procedures to prevent the spread of microbes and the potential development of sepsis.
The aseptic technique includes the use of pre-sterilized equipment and strict protocols during the setup and maintenance of the sterile field. Only items which have been sterilized should come into contact with sterile surfaces, and care must be taken not to contaminate the field by directly touching the items with non-sterile gloves or surfaces.
Therefore, when adding an item to a sterile field, one must not compromise the sterility by touching the item with their hands or by letting it contact non-sterile surfaces. Instead, the contents should be carefully allowed to drop onto the sterile field without touching the edges of the packaging to the field.