Final answer:
The best initial action for treating a human bite on the arm is to irrigate the wound and debride as necessary to prevent infection.
Step-by-step explanation:
Best Action for a Human Bite Wound
Following an injury from a human bite, immediate care is crucial to prevent infection and complications. The correct action to take for the patient who was bitten in the arm is to irrigate the wound and debride as necessary. It is essential to clean the bite thoroughly to remove any debris and reduce the bacterial load. After cleaning, it's important to assess the need for debridement, which is the removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue. The other options, such as obtaining a culture and sensitivity, referring for rabies prophylaxis, or closing the wound with adhesive strips, are not the priority actions at this stage. While referral for rabies might be considered if the assailant is suspected to have rabies, human-to-human rabies transmission is exceedingly rare. If the patient's tetanus immunization is not up to date, a tetanus booster should also be considered.
Immediate wound care takes precedence as it is the best way to prevent infection from a bite. Human saliva can contain high levels of bacteria, and bite wounds can easily become infected due to the crushing action of the human jaw and potential contamination from oral bacteria.