Wound Care Padlet by Mia Wilcocks

Abrasion

mwilcocks — 2025-02-25 15:04:23 UTC

Initial Care: stop any bleeding, clean wound with soap and water, dress with sterile pads

Post Care: clean, apply petroleum jelly or antibiotic ointment, cover with bandaid, keep area clean and dry.

Laceration

mwilcocks — 2025-02-25 15:09:32 UTC

Initial Care: stop bleeding, clean area, apply antiseptic, and cover with gauze/dressing.

Post Care: may need referral to doctor, often requires stitches

Incisions

mwilcocks — 2025-02-25 15:18:54 UTC

Initial Care: keep wound clean, avoid soaking or scrubbing the wound, stitches

Post Care: change dressing often, monitor stitches, inspect regularly

Puncture Wound

mwilcocks — 2025-02-26 03:53:37 UTC

Initial Care: stop bleeding, clean, remove visible debris (splinter), cover

Post Care: change dressing regularly, monitor for infection, continue cleaning, keep area dry, may need referral.

Avulsion Wound

mwilcocks — 2025-02-26 03:57:51 UTC

Initial Care: control bleeding, keep loose tissues, clean out, cover with sterile pads

Post Care: keep clean & dry, apply antibiotic ointments, protect the area, may need referral.

Universal Precautions with Wounds

mwilcocks — 2025-02-26 04:00:59 UTC

When caring for a wound, you should always treat it like it's infected/contaminated, therefore you must clean and dress as soon as you can. To help prevent infection, a wound should be cleaned with soap & water or a sterile solution to clean out any potential irritants. Sterile dressings can be used to keep a wound fresh while occlusive dressings should be used to provide a complete barrier around the wound area. Antibacterial ointments can be used to help prevent bacterial infections and stop gauze from sticking to the wound.

Recognizing an Infected Wound

mwilcocks — 2025-02-26 04:03:52 UTC

There are various signs indicating that a wound is infected:

symptoms of inflammation: pain, redness, swelling, heat, and inadequate function
pus could occur
fever could come as a result of the body fighting off the infection

Some infections can be treated with antibiotics while others, such as MRSA, are more resilient and therefore harder to treat.