Safely Saving Dressings

Abstract Title: Safely Saving Dressings

Issue:  Patients with complicated wounds require repeated dressing changes to promote healing. Dressings are expensive and often only a small portion is used during each dressing change. Nurses frequently save the unused portion of dressing for reuse on the same client; however there are no specific protocols for safe storage. The BC Provincial Nursing Skin and Wound Committee, in collaboration with Wound Clinicians from the six health authorities, worked with the Provincial Infection Control Network (PICNet) to develop guidance for safely storing dressings.

Project: A literature review was performed to look for any existing guidelines on appropriately saving dressings, but none were found. A consensus process was used to develop guidance which has now been adopted in BC.

Results: Dressing supplies must be single client use only. Aseptic no-touch technique must be used for dressing changes. Saved dressings can only be used for no-touch or clean dressing changes. New dressings are required for sterile dressing changes. Sterile forceps and scissors are used to cut a piece of the dressing that fits into or covers the wound. The remaining dressing is placed into a new sterile C&S container or a new re-sealable bag labeled with the client’s name, the date and the name of the dressing. At the next dressing change, sterile forceps and scissors are again used to cut a piece of the dressing that fits into or covers the wound. The remaining dressing is then placed back into the container or bag.  After 2 weeks, the container or bag and any remaining dressing pieces are discarded.

Lessons Learned: This Guideline standardizes a process that regularly occurs but has never been actually acknowledged. Standardizing will improve patient safety as well as redirect savings towards other patient care issues