Acute surgical wound care. 3: Fitting the dressing to the wound

The third article in this series on surgical wound care discusses the types of dressings currently available, and selection of the correct dressing for a particular wound type. There is an abundance of information on the types of dressings available. Wound management for the individual patient must be decided using best evidence and taking into account patients' increased involvement in their care, new technology and the push to mobilize early, leading to early discharge from hospital. The nurse needs to have a good knowledge of the types of dressings available, the properties of individual dressings and a sound understanding of wound healing, in order to make an informed decision on wound management. General factors such as safety, comfort, pain management and convenience must be borne in mind when deciding which dressing is the best for individual patients, given that dressings now have to be cost-effective as well as clinically effective.