Wound Dressing 101

Dressing Selection

Dressing selection is one of the most important aspects of wound healing and the key to providing hole-istic care. The choice of dressings depends on several factors. It is important to assess the wound etiology, the type of wound, the condition of the wound, and the location of the wound on the patient’s anatomy.

There are no one-size-fits-all protocols when selecting dressings. Wounds with the same qualities may require different dressings on different patients. For example, a clinician may choose to dress a traumatic wound on the forearm with a silicone bordered dressing on a 22-year old patient. But the same clinician will dress a similar wound with a non-adherent dressing and a gauze wrap if the patient is 92. The rationale would be that the skin of the 92-year old patient may be too fragile for an adhesive dressing.