Question

Which nursing actions are appropriate for cleaning the area surrounding a drain site? Select all that apply.

1. Reuse gauze to clean across the site
2. Clean from the drain site to the surrounding skin
3. Use hard friction when applying solutions locally to the skin
4. After applying a solution to sterile gauze, clean away from the wound
5. Allow irrigating solution to flow from the least to most contaminated area

Answer 1

Appropriate nursing actions for cleaning around a drain site include cleaning from the site to the skin without reusing gauze, avoiding hard friction, cleaning away from the wound, and allowing solution to flow from clean to contaminated areas.

Step-by-step explanation:

Appropriate nursing actions for cleaning the area surrounding a drain site include clean technique and maintaining a sterile environment. Reusing gauze to clean across the site (Option 1) is not appropriate as it can introduce infection. The correct method is to clean from the drain site to the surrounding skin (Option 2) to avoid bringing contaminants to the site. Hard friction when applying solutions locally to the skin (Option 3) should be avoided to prevent tissue damage and to protect a healing wound. The correct action is to clean away from the wound after applying a solution to sterile gauze (Option 4), to avoid contaminating the clean area with fluid from the more contaminated regions. It is also correct to allow irrigating solution to flow from the least to most contaminated area (Option 5), which mirrors principles of maintaining sterility and preventing cross-contamination.