How to cleanse a wound: a nurse’s guide

Nursing Standard Podcast

Nurses encounter many different wounds in their practice.

These range from lower limb leg ulcers – including venous leg ulcers and diabetes-related foot ulcers - to surgical wounds, pressure ulcers and those caused by trauma.

Wounds can be distressing, painful and debilitating for the person as well as affecting body image. They are also costly and take time to manage for the health service and organisation.

This episode looks at what nurses need to know about this important area of practice.

Our expert guest is Matthew Wynn, a lecturer in adult nursing who runs the tissue viability and leg ulcer management module at University of Salford.

He explains the difference between an acute and chronic wound, the importance of assessment prior to wound cleansing and when to employ aseptic and clean wound techniques.

He also discusses how to choose the correct cleansing solution including the use of water and use of dressings.

At the end of the podcast, Matthew neatly summarises the three things nurses need to know about cleansing a wound.

For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast

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