Medical dressings and bandages come in a variety of sizes and are made to treat many different injuries or wounds. Sterile medical dressings and surgical bandages are used in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities and by home care aides to treat patients with surgical or open wounds.

It's important for nurses, home health aides, and health care workers to understand proper use and methods of application and removal for surgical dressings and medical bandages. Any health care workers receiving medical dressings and bandages education and training should:

1. Learn how to apply and remove medical dressings.

2. Get trained to properly use first aid bandages.

3. Become educated about wound dressings and bandages.

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Learn to apply medical dressings correctly

Medical dressings and bandages can include surgical dressings to be applied to surgery sites, first aid bandages, or even a compression bandage that is used for strained muscles or injuries. It's important for nurses and home health aides to learn about the different types of medical dressings.

I recommend: Norquest College offers a course for nurses focusing on wound care and applying the proper surgical bandages. George Brown College provides hands-on wound assessment training that will teach you about medical bandage supplies and medical dressings.

Get educated about wound-specific brands of medical dressings and applications

Nurses, home health aides, physical therapists and other healthcare workers are often responsible for administering first aid and wound care, including applying first aid bandages or wound care dressings. Many dressings have special features like being impregnated with lubricant or antibiotic solution, or having moisture-wicking features to keep the area dry. Learn the correct way to apply an adhesive bandage or elastic bandage and the differences between them.

I recommend: Silverlon outlines basic wound and burn dressing protocols and also teaches you to use some of their wound-specific sterile medical dressings like calcium alginate dressings. They also include instructions for at-home use that you can provide to patients when they are discharged. Dermagraft is used for ulcer-type wounds and provides a training video to learn to use their medical dressings.

Become trained in wound care and medical dressings usage

It's important for nurses and home health aides to know how to properly apply and change medical dressings for the safety and comfort of the patient. Continue your education and learn about wound care and the many kinds of surgical dressings used in wound care and surgical treatment. Earn certification in wound care through continuing education programs to further your career and your health care education.

I recommend: Complete courses at The Wound Institute to continue your education in wound care and medical dressings and bandages. Earn your National Certification In Woundcare through the training program offered by the Wound Care Educational Institute. The course teaches students which sterile surgical dressing is appropriate for certain types of wounds, as well as how to apply them safely and correctly to ensure healing and sterility.

Acquire medical dressings and bandages in an abundance of different styles to remedy injuries ranging from minor scrapes to major lacerations. Treat diverse health and emergency care wounds by purchasing comprehensive medical bandage supplies to help you and your staff effectively meet patients' needs. Contact medical bandage manufacturers to not only buy sterile medical dressings, surgical bandages and an extensive array of other products, but also to get evolving industry developments.

Balance obtaining the newest market products with keeping routine supplies close-at-hand. Put sterile dressing and standard supplies such as first aid bandages and compression bandages at your fingertips by keeping them well organized. Find the best wound dressings and bandages, plus other modern medical dressings and bandages by considering the following recommendations:

1. Address surgical and wound care needs by acquiring samples from companies that carry surgical dressings.

2. Do one-stop shopping for first-aid supplies and medical bandages at manufactures that offer complete kits for basic injuries.

3. Buy elastic bandages and other medical bandage wraps for when flexible, pressure-applying care best suits patient needs.

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Obtain samples of state-of-the-art medical dressings and bandages for wound and surgical treatment

Access samples of state-of-the-art wound dressings and bandages from HemCon Medical Technologies, Inc. HemCon bandages adhere when they come in contact with blood, develop a glue-type bond that seals the wound and controls bleeding. Additionally, cover clean wounds with top-of-the-line transparent medical dressings until new skin grows.

I recommend: Review the benefits of this advanced bandage from HemCon Medical Technologies, Inc., and click on the box in the top right-hand corner entitled “Medical Professionals” to order samples. Purchase transparent surgical dressings from Family Meds offering surgical bandages to put on top of clean wounds, including post-surgical cuts, for up to seven days or until new skin appears over the wound’s surface.

Manage your time when ordering medical dressings and bandages for basic injuries

Obtain comprehensive online catalogs from companies that offer plastic or metal first aid kits. Choose kits that feature gaskets and handles for ease in carrying or convenient wall mounting. Single-use packaging prevents product contamination.

I recommend: Contact First-Aid Product and scroll down to choose first aid bandages conveniently packaged in kits to fit your staffing size and emergency needs. Handle on-site emergencies with first aid kits replete with medical bandage supplies. Order other sterile medical dressings for your first aid kit from Emergency Essentials.

Select medical dressings and bandages with elastic and compression features

Buy elastic medical dressings and bandages to remedy injuries when flexible bandage fits best. For example, these bandages work well for head or hand dressings. Use compression bandages when patients need long or short-term compression treatments such as with venous leg ulcers and related conditions.

I recommend: Purchase a flexible wrap from Emergency Medical Products, Inc. Scroll down to order the desired color, size and quantity of this flex-wrap self-adherent, non-adhesive elastic bandage that sticks to itself and requires no use of clips or tape. In addition, acquire a compression bandage from Liberator Medical Supply, Inc. Choose from a wide variety of bandages designed to aid injuries that require sustained pressure.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Apply medical dressings to appropriate wounds. Read all package inserts to determine if the bandage suits both infected and non-infected wounds.

Medical dressings and bandages are necessary not only in hospitals and other medical settings, but they can also be helpful to have around any place of business, particularly those well populated or with hazardous working conditions. You may be the person called upon to place the order to fill your first aid kit, or you may be a physician working with these items in your practice or hospital setting. Regardless of your need for medical dressings and bandages, familiarizing yourself with the various wounds that require such coverings, various types of wound care, different kinds of dressing and features of medical dressings will help you better prepare for your next conversation with someone in the field or to place your next order.

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Lacerations

Lacerations are different than incisions because they are tear-like wounds brought on by some sort of blunt trauma. They are not clean cuts that can easily be stitched. Oftentimes they have to be cleaned out extensively, and different dressing types need to be considered to ward off infection.

I recommend: The National Center for Emergency Medicine Informatics discusses treatment of simple lacerations.

Wound debridement

Wound debridement is when medical professionals remove non-living tissue from wounds such as injuries, burns or ulcers. This helps speed up the healing process by removing the necrotic (dead) tissue that can delay healing or cause an infection.

I recommend: Find out more about wound debridement from Life Steps.

Compression paste bandages

Compression paste bandages are used to treat conditions such as lymphedema or venous ulcers and are capable of shortening around the limb after the bandage is applied. This allows the patient not to over-exert pressure during inactivity.

I recommend: Find out from the Society for Vascular Nursing about the do’s and don’ts in application of a compression paste bandage.

Exudate

Exudate refers to the fluid, cells or other substances that are slowly secreted from a wound via small pores or breaks in cell membranes.

I recommend: Learn more about wound exudate from the Wound Care Information Network.

Moisture wicking

Moisture wicking is a feature of dressing to help keep an area dry. The wick of the dressing draws moisture away from the wound site or area needed to be kept dry and draws it out to the outer layers as far from the wound site as possible.

I recommend: See an application of moisture wicking through the V.A.C. GranuFoam Bridge Dressing from KCI Licensing. Zebra Medical also offers dressings that wick away moisture from catheter/port sites to keep them dry.

Calcium alginate dressings

Calcium alginate dressings have an alginate and a silver nylon contact layer. The silver ions provide an antimicrobial barrier that offers bacterial contamination protection, and the dressing absorbs excretions while maintaining a moist environment for healing.

I recommend: Learn more about calcium alginate dressings from Argentum Medical. It is appropriate for heavy excreting wounds, including various ulcer types, donor and graft sites, trauma and surgery wounds, as well as first- and second-degree burns.

If there's one thing doctors and nurses need, it's a good supply of wound dressings and bandages. They require them not only to cover trauma wounds, but also for treatment after blood tests and other well-patient procedures.

Before stocking your shelves with any old medical bandage supplies, you should think about buying some of the medical dressings and bandages types and styles that people need most often. Three of these types are:

1. Sterile medical dressings with special antibacterial qualities that are used to cover burns;

2. Adhesive bandages that stick to the skin on their own and are mainly used for more minor cuts;

3. Traditional gauze pads that you attach to the skin with the help of medical tape.

Action Steps
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Look at surgical dressings that are used to cover burns

While all wounds carry a risk for infection, you have to be especially careful to keep burned skin free from germs and bacteria. Because of this, doctors and nurses require special pads just for this type of injury, whether it be due to fire or chemicals.

I recommend: The Medical Supply Group sells Acticoat burn dressing, which provides up to three days of antimicrobial protection. Pads are available in cases of 12 or 48, or you can buy them singly. Water-Jel Technologies sells burn dressings suitable for emergency treatments. They contain a cooling gel for instant relief of some of the pain.

Consider adhesive first aid bandages

Adhesive bandages are a good bet for treating minor injuries or covering blood draw sites. They are also a favorite of pediatricians, since they often have fun, kiddie designs on them.

I recommend: Look at Johnson & Johnson Consumer's Band-Aid brand line. It features skin tone bandages, cartoon bandages and even clear bandages. The brand is so ubiquitous it has become a household name. For a very durable adhesive bandage, you may want to purchase Active Strips, available through eGeneralMedical. They are made of water resistant and flexible foam. You can order them in cases of 100.

Check out gauze medical bandages that require tape

The good thing about the traditional type of sterile dressing is you can use it to dress any size or shape of wound. The pads are made to absorb moisture while still allowing wounds to breathe. Since they are not adhesive, they require a good roll of surgical tape, which can lead to extra sales.

I recommend: Bandages Plus sells three types of gauze rolls as well as two types of pads. You can wrap them around wounds as is or cut them to a smaller size. Medline Industries sells eight types of Curad brand tape, ranging from cloth to waterproof.