Wound Dressing at Home

The treatment of a wound using various methods associated with the type of wound is called wound care. Wound care involves certain important steps which can be stated as follows-

• Providing instant care to the skin with the aid of debridement and dressing.
• Usage of bandages (medicated)
• Compression
• The treatment of infections caused by the wound
• Oedema treatment
• Increasing the flow of blood and oxygen for a speedy recovery/healing.

Wounds are of several types with several causes. Some wounds demand immediate wound care dressings and attention while some start healing on their own. Hence, a physician usually suggests the wound care dressings technique with accordance to the type of wound.

Types of wound care dressings while nursing is:

Alginate: Used for wounds that are exuding heavily. The alginates are generally used in primary wound dressing that is composed of a range of seaweeds from various parts of the world. While being used for primary wound dressing a wound that is heavy, the calcium and sodium ions interact with each other in the fluid within the wound. This results in the dressing to bulge and somewhat dissolve into a form of a gel. Alginate dressing provides a moist cover to halt the wound from remaining dried out and making it possible to heal at the earliest.

Collagen: It is one of the most common types of the burn wound dressing in the market and is known for its amazing results by many patients, especially the ones with severe wounds, severe burns and thick wounds. Collagen enables the development of fresh cells in the wounded area by facilitating natural scaffolds upon which the tissue would grow. It fortifies essential to wound healing steps. Partial/full thickness wounds, second-degree burns and damages, granulating wounds etc are aided with collagen burn wound dressing.

Foam– Made up of semi-permeable polyurethane, these are made up of Non- adhesive materials and hence these kinds of dressings let water vapour enter but prevent bacteria and other kinds of contaminants. Foam dressings are applied to provide a moist environment for wound healing. It doesn’t need frequent dressings to be changed, hardly a change in 2 or 3 days and hence is comfortable and useful for wounds that are leaky.

Transparent– These are the most flexible types of dressings as they are available in various shapes and sizes to fit any type or area of the wound. Even though these are waterproof there is a one-way passage to let the excess carbon dioxide and moisture get released. A transparent dressing should be used when it is large enough to be able to keep an inch or two around the area surrounding the wound. A change of transparent dressing generally is required within 3 or 5 days.

Cloth– These are the most common types of dressings that used to cover open wounds or cracks on the skin. Suitable for smaller injuries like cuts, drying out of skin etc these dressings are available in all shapes and sizes from the smallest to the largest covering to be done.

Hydrocolloid– Known for fast healing and providing a moist environment for the wounds, Hydrocolloid dressing is often suggested for necrotic and granular wounds. It has a special property of acting as an artificial scab and letting the body put more focus on healing and doing away with scars.  These are opaque and flexible and differ in their state of elasticity and retention of fluid corresponding to the manufacturer. But these are not suitable for wounds with a great level of seepage.

1. wound dressing at home is simple and avoids complexities-Wound, soon after it occurs needs to be cleaned thoroughly and the right kind of dressing is required. A nurse for dressing at home would do the same and keep the possible infections away from spreading. If it’s a deep wound and needs a lot of dressing medical, then wound dressing at home is the best solution for you.
2. It gives an opportunity to oneself and the family to learn about wound care techniques – A wound is sometimes the result of an accident and sometimes a post-surgical occurrence following infections that needs surgical wound dressing. A nurse for dressing at home educates you and your family while she analyses the type of wound and the type of dressing that needs to be maintained, providing information on how to avoid complications and prevent from any sort of infection.
3. Boosts the healing process: When wound care is done at home, it naturally saves a lot of energy as one doesn’t need to move out or travel to any medicare centre or hospital and hence the wound gets proper time to heal and stay away from any infection (aerial-as in pollution). The entire dressing is carried out in a comfortable state of mind and body and that boosts up the process of healing making you take enough rest and care.