Skin assessment |
1- Examine the skin of all patients upon admission and thereafter, daily, above all, before medical adhesive application and after its removal. |
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2- Assess skin integrity, its coloration, temperature, humidity, turgor, fragility, edema and signs of local irritation. |
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3- Previously recognize the types of skin injuries caused by medical adhesives (Mechanical: skin stripping, tension injury and friction injury. Dermatitis: irritant contact dermatitis and allergic dermatitis. Others: maceration and folliculitis). |
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Identification of patients at risk |
4- Obtain patient history of known allergies and sensitivities, particularly to components of the medical adhesive. |
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5- Identify patients at risk through the following factors: Extremes of age (older adults); Underlying clinical conditions (diabetes, immunosuppression, renal failure, chronic venous insufficiency); Dermatological conditions (dermatitis, eczema, underlying injuries); Exposure to humidity; Malnutrition; Dehydration; Dry skin; Use of certain medications (chemotherapy, vasoconstrictors, long-term corticosteroids, anticoagulants); Recurrent use of medical adhesive. |
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Product selection |
6- Select the most appropriate adhesive product for patients’ skin considering its particularities assessed. |
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7- To choose the adhesive, consider: Patients’ skin conditions; Expected adhesive action (e.g., critical, non-critical device fixation, dressing, wound dressing); Time of permanence of the adhesive product. Adhesive properties (e.g., cohesiveness over time, softness, flexibility, strength); Anatomical location/area (whether the site is flat, subject to movement or friction, exposure to moisture, exudate and/or body fluids); Potential adverse effects of insufficient adherence Adhesive failure when the purpose is fixing a critical device; |
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Skin preparation |
8- Prepare the skin, making sure it is clean and dry; |
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9- Shave the hair, if necessary, preferably with scissors, avoiding using blades; |
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10- Avoid using products that increase adhesive adhesion to the skin (e.g., benzoin); |
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11- Consider using a barrier film before applying the medical adhesive (available in foams, wet wipes or sprays), especially in patients at risk of skin injury; |
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12- Wait for liquid solutions to dry completely when applied to the skin, in order to avoid moisture; |
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Adhesive product application technique |
13- Apply adhesive without straining, pulling or stretching; |
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14- Use firm and gentle pressure to put the adhesive product in place, avoiding gaps and wrinkles; |
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15- Fold a small edge of the adhesive over itself to form a small flap that facilitates its removal later; |
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16- Apply adhesive only to the required area |
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Removal technique |
17- Start removal from the edges of the adhesive product; |
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18- With the fingers of the opposite hand, support the skin, keeping it firm; remove the adhesive product slowly on itself in the direction of hair growth, keeping it horizontal and at a low angle close to skin surface. As the product is removed, continue to move the fingers of the opposite hand supporting the newly exposed skin; |
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19- Consider the possibility of using adhesive remover products (available in liquid solution, wipes, sprays); |
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20- The use of lotion, petrolatum or mineral oil can be considered as alternative products for removing the adhesive; |
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Health professionals’ education |
21- Promote permanent education for health professionals, addressing: Identification and recognition of medical adhesive-related skin injuries; Skin preparation; Application and removal techniques; Use of skin barrier products and adhesive removers; Strategies for skin injury prevention. |
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