How do you handle wound cleanser and dressings in the Hospital Outpatient Department?

I'm looking for ideas and information on how to handle wound cleansers/dressings in the hospital outpatient department.
Do you have single use wound cleanser? Or do you keep one bottle and wipe it between patients?
Do you keep patient wound supplies(extra hydrofera blue, aquacel etc) in your clinic or do you send them home with patients? Do you ask them to bring them back?
Or do you get brand new supplies with each visit?
This information will help me make good suggestions when we develop polices regarding our supplies.
THANK YOU!

Nov 7, 2024 by Nancy Lanzrath, RN, BSN

2 replies

Elaine Horibe Song
MD, PhD, MBA

Hi Nancy,

Thank you for your question. Other colleagues might have other comments, below are some thoughts shared by Scott Robinson, MD.

Cleanser: As an alternative to commercial cleansers, we have been using baby shampoo and water to cleanse wounds. This option is affordable, well-tolerated by patients, and facilitates mechanical cleansing. One could use small, single-use bottles or opt for a larger bottle, dispensing into a clean container for each patient if needed. Some facilities also perform wound cleansing with saline and may add a surfactant to enhance the cleaning effect.
Wound Supplies: After performing a dressing change at the clinic, any leftover, unused dressings are typically sent home with the patient (we apply a label to these items and send them along). However, we do not send unopened dressings, as the clinic doesn't get reimbursed for those extra dressings to be used at home. If patients bring supplies back in usable condition, we might reuse them, although it isn’t a requirement. For dressing changes at home, we place an order with a DME supplier.

Nov 10, 2024

Nancy Lanzrath
RN, BSN

Thank you!

Nov 13, 2024

* Information provided without clinical evaluation and is not intended as a replacement for in-person consultation with a medical professional. The information provided through Curbside Consult is not a substitute for proper training, experience, and exercising of professional judgment. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents, neither the authors nor the Wound Reference, Inc. give any guarantee as to the accuracy of the information contained in them nor accept any liability, with respect to loss, damage, injury or expense arising from any such errors or omissions in the contents of the work.

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