Skin Integrity and Wound Care

When assessing a wound that a client sustained as a result of surgery, the nurse notes well-approximated edges and no signs of infection. How will the nurse document this assessment finding?

incision

The nurse is educating an older adult client about skin care. Which recommendation will assist the client in maintaining skin integrity?

"Avoid soaps with artificial ingredients or fragrances, as milder soaps are safer."

A client who had a knee replacement asks the nurse, "Why do I need this little bulb coming out of my knee?" What is the appropriate nursing response?

"The drain allows removal of blood and drainage from the surgical wound, which enables healing and protects the skin around the wound."

The nurse is teaching a client about healing of a minor surgical wound by first intention. What teaching will the nurse include?

"Very little scar tissue will form."

The nurse is caring for a client with a sacral wound. Upon assessment, the wound is noted to be intact, reddened, and nonblanchable. What is the best way to document the nurse's assessment finding?

As a stage I pressure injury

A nurse is cleaning the wound of a client who has been injured by a gunshot. Which guideline is recommended for this procedure?

Clean the wound from the top to the bottom and from the center to outside.

A postoperative client is being transferred from the bed to a gurney and states, "I feel like something has just given away." What should the nurse assess in the client?

Dehiscence of the wound

The nurse is performing frequent skin assessment at the site where cold therapy has been in place. The nurse notes pallor at the site and the client reports "it feels numb." What is the best action by the nurse at this time?

Discontinue the therapy and assess the client.

A nurse is caring for a client who has an avulsion of her left thumb. Which description should the nurse understand as being the definition of avulsion?

Tearing of a structure from its normal position

The nurse is changing the dressing of a client with a gunshot wound. What nursing action would the nurse provide?

The nurse selects a dressing that absorbs exudate, if it is present, but still maintains a moist environment.

The nurse is assessing the wounds of clients in a burn unit. Which wound would most likely heal by primary intention?

a surgical incision with sutured approximated edges

An older adult client has been admitted to the hospital with dehydration, and the nurse has inserted a peripheral intravenous line into the client's forearm in order to facilitate rehydration. What type of dressing should the nurse apply over the client's venous access site?

a transparent film

The nurse has delegated applying an elastic bandage with clips to the right knee of a 12-year-old client to the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). Which action will the nurse determine the UAP needs additional training?

applies wrap from proximal to distal direction

A client recovering from abdominal surgery sneezes and then screams, "My insides are hanging out!" What is the initial nursing intervention?

applying sterile dressings with normal saline over the protruding organs and tissue

Upon review of a postoperative client's medication list, the nurse recognizes that which medication will delay the healing of the operative wound?

corticosteroids

Which activity should the nurse implement to decrease shearing force on a client's stage II pressure injury?

preventing the client from sliding in bed

A nurse is assessing a client's surgical wound and sees drainage that is pale pink-yellow and thin and contains plasma and red cells. What is this type of drainage?

serosanguineous

The nurse in the long-term care facility observes that a client has developed a sacral pressure wound, which is very red and surrounded by blisters. Which stage of pressure injury does this client present?

stage II

A nurse is caring for a client with dehydration at the health care facility. The client is receiving glucose intravenously. What type of dressing should the nurse use to cover the IV insertion site?

transparent

The nurse is assisting a client with a sitz bath. Which actions should the nurse perform? Select all that apply.

Fill the bowl of the sitz bath about halfway full with tepid to warm water. Insert tubing into the infusion port of the sitz bath. Slowly unclamp the tubing and allow the sitz bath to fill. Ensure that the call bell is within reach.

A nurse has applied a bandage to a client's arm from just above the wrist to just below the elbow. What finding(s) would suggest to the nurse that there are no circulatory complications? Select all that apply.

Fingers with quick capillary refill Warm hand No finger numbness or tingling

The nurse is caring for an older adult admitted for thromboembolism and on bed rest. Which assessments should the nurse use to help detect the potential for pressure injury? Select all that apply.

Nutritional status Mental status Skin moisture Sensory perception

The nurse is taking care of a client who asks about wound dehiscence. It is the second postoperative day. Which response by the nurse is most accurate?

"Dehiscence is when a wound has partial or total separation of the wound layers."

To determine a client's risk for pressure injury development, it is most important for the nurse to ask the client which question?

"Do you experience incontinence?"

The nurse is caring for a client with an ankle sprain. Which client statement regarding an ice pack indicates that nursing teaching has been effective?

"I will put a layer of cloth between my skin and the ice pack."

The registered nurse (RN) observes the licensed practical nurse (LPN) preforming this action when applying a topical gel to a client's surgical wound during a dressing change. What instructions should the RN provide the LPN regarding this action?

"To best avoid further traumatizing the wound bed, apply the gel with a sterile cotton tip applicator."

The acute care nurse is caring for a client whose large surgical wound is healing by secondary intention. The client asks, "Why is my wound still open? Will it ever heal?" Which response by the nurse is most appropriate?

"Your wound will heal slowly as granulation tissue forms and fills the wound."

The wound care nurse evaluates a client's wound after being consulted. The client's wound healing has been slow. Upon assessment of the wound, the wound care nurse informs the medical-surgical nurse that the wound healing is being delayed due to the client's state of dehydration and dehydrated tissues in the wound that are crusty. What is another term for localized dehydration in a wound?

Desiccation

A child is brought to the clinic by a parent. The parent states that the child has been at camp. The child has a rash on the face, arms, and legs. The child states it itches severely. How will the nurse describe the assessment findings?

Diffuse dermatitis accompanied by pruritus

A nurse is obtaining a wound culture from a sacral pressure injury. After swabbing the area, the nurses determines that the wound was not cleaned. What is the priority action by the nurse?

Discard the swab, clean the wound with a nonantimicrobial cleanser, and obtain another swab

The nurse is helping a confused client with a large leg wound order dinner. Which food item is most appropriate for the nurse to select to promote wound healing?

Fish

The nurse is caring for a client on the unit. During change of shift, another nurse is blowing on the wound it dry it. What is the most important reason this technique does not adhere to the standards of care for dressing changes?

Increases the risk of infection by contaminating the wound

A nurse removing sutures from a client's traumatic wound notices that the sutures are encrusted with blood and difficult to remove. What would be the nurse's most appropriate action?

Moisten sterile gauze with sterile saline to gently loosen crusts before removing sutures.

When assessing the right heel of a client who is confined to bed, the nurse notes a thick, leathery, black scab. What is the correct action by the nurse?

Off-load pressure from the heel.

The nurse is caring for a client who has a deep wound and whose saline-moistened wound dressing has been changed every 12 hours. While removing the old dressing, the nurse notes that the packing material is dry and adheres to the wound bed. Which modification is most appropriate?

Reduce the time interval between dressing changes.

Collection of a wound culture has been ordered for a client whose traumatic hand wound is showing signs of infection. When collecting this laboratory specimen, which action should the nurse take?

Rotate the swab several times over the wound surface to obtain an adequate specimen.

A nurse is removing the staples from a client's surgical incision, as ordered. After removing the first few staples, the nurse notes that the edges of the wound pull apart as each staple is removed. What is the nurse's best action?

Stop removing staples and inform the surgeon

The nurse is applying a heating pad to a client experiencing neck pain. Which nursing action is performed correctly?

The nurse keeps the pad in place for 20 to 30 minutes, assessing it regularly.

The nurse is caring for a client who has a pressure injury on the back. What nursing intervention would the nurse perform?

The nurse uses positioning devices and techniques to maintain posture and distribute weight evenly for the client in a chair.

A client who was injured when stepping on a rusted nail visits the health care facility. What is the most important assessment information the nurse needs to obtain?

The status of the client's tetanus immunization

The nurse considers the impact of shearing forces in the development of pressure injuries in clients. Which client would be most likely to develop a pressure injury from shearing forces?

a client sitting in a chair who slides down

A postoperative client says during a transfer, "I feel like something just popped." The nurse immediately assesses for:

dehiscence.

The nurse is assessing a client's surgical wound after abdominal surgery and sees viscera protruding through the abdominal wound opening. Which term best describes this complication?

evisceration

A nurse is caring for a postsurgical client with a Jackson-Pratt drain. Which type of wound drainage should the nurse report to the health care provider as an indication of infection?

foul-smelling drainage that is grayish in color