Question

While caring for a patient who has pressure ulcers, the nurse finds that the skin surrounding the ulcer has become macerated. Which nursing intervention would be most appropriate to manage the patient's condition?

1 Obtaining necessary wound cultures
2 Reporting to the primary health care provider
3 Applying liquid skin barrier on the periwound skin
4 Changing the analgesic used for curing the wound
5 Reducing the exposure of wound to topical agents

Answer 1

The most appropriate nursing intervention to manage macerated skin surrounding a pressure ulcer is to apply a liquid skin barrier on the peri-wound skin.

Step-by-step explanation:

To manage a patient's macerated skin surrounding a pressure ulcer, the most appropriate nursing intervention would be 3. Applying liquid skin barrier on the periwound skin. Maceration occurs when the skin is excessively moist, and applying a liquid skin barrier helps protect the skin from further damage and aids in healing. Other interventions, such as obtaining wound cultures, reporting to the primary health care provider, changing analgesics, and reducing the exposure of the wound to topical agents, may be necessary depending on the specific circumstances, but they are not the most appropriate initial intervention for managing maceration.