What is the recommended approach for dressing changes in infected wounds?

The recommended approach for dressing changes in infected wounds involves using aseptic techniques. Aseptic techniques are designed to prevent the introduction of pathogens into the wound, which is critical in managing infected wounds. This can include practices such as wearing gloves, properly cleansing the wound area, and ensuring that all instruments and materials used are sterile.

In an infected wound, minimizing the risk of further contamination is essential in promoting healing and preventing complications. Aseptic technique helps in reducing the microbial load and controlling infection more effectively than clean techniques, which may still allow for some microbial presence.

While changing dressings frequently can be beneficial in some cases, doing so every hour may not be necessary or practical for all infected wounds and can lead to disruption of the healing process. Using saline without gloves introduces the potential for contamination, which is contrary to infection control principles. Therefore, aseptic techniques are the most effective and recommended method for dressing infected wounds.