Many patients or family members are actively involved in wound care. But you need to discuss and plan the wound care and dressing changes with your health care professional.
Both halves of that matter. Changing your own dressing is normal and expected in a lot of wound care. It is also something arranged in advance with the person treating the wound, not a decision made alone. That’s partly because the schedule and the dressing are chosen together, and partly because of technique.
On technique, one thing matters most. If you or your caregiver is changing your wound dressing, good hand hygiene, including alcohol-based hand rubs and handwashing with soap and water, is critical to reduce the risk of spreading bacteria.
Here’s what a dressing change looks like for a closed surgical wound. It starts before you touch the dressing: clean your hands by washing with soap and warm water, cleaning under your nails, then rinsing and drying with a clean towel. Have the supplies you need ready and a clean work surface.
Put on clean medical gloves if the wound is infected, or if you are changing the dressing for someone else. Those gloves do not need to be sterile. If the old dressing sticks to the wound, moisten it gently with water and try again, unless your surgeon has told you to pull it off dry. Put the old dressing in a plastic bag, and wash your hands again afterward.
When putting the new one on, don’t touch the inside of the dressing, and don’t apply antibiotic cream or any other product unless your surgeon tells you to.
One thing not to do yourself: if you have stitches or staples that do not dissolve, the surgeon removes them. Do not pull at your stitches or try to remove them on your own.
The detail above is for a closed surgical wound. The arrangement, that this is planned with your clinician rather than assumed, applies whatever the wound.