Final answer:
It is important to watch for increased redness, swelling, and pain after a cut or abrasion has been cleaned and bandaged because these can be signs of infection.
Step-by-step explanation:
In order to understand why it is important to watch for increased redness, swelling, and pain after cleaning and bandaging a cut or abrasion, we need to understand the signs of infection. When the body is injured, it responds by initiating an inflammatory response to protect and heal the wound. However, if an infection occurs, the inflammatory response becomes more pronounced. Increased redness, swelling, and pain can be signs that the wound is infected.