During dressing changes, which practice best ensures asepsis?

• A. Using a clean field with occasional glove changes.
• B. Hand hygiene is not required for dressing changes.
• C. Maintaining a sterile field and sterile gloves; avoid nonsterile surfaces; aseptic technique.
• D. Sterile technique is optional if the patient’s skin is intact.

Answer: (C)

Asepsis during dressing changes hinges on maintaining a sterile field and sterile gloves, while keeping nonsterile surfaces away from the area and following aseptic technique. This approach prevents introduction of pathogens into the wound, protecting the patient from infection. Hand hygiene before and during the procedure is essential to reduce microbial load, and sterile supplies should remain uncontaminated throughout the change. Even if the skin around the wound appears intact, the wound itself represents a break in barriers, so sterile technique is required to keep the site free from microbes.

The other practices fall short because they allow contamination risks: using a clean field with only occasional glove changes increases exposure to microbes; skipping hand hygiene undermines the clean environment; and treating sterile technique as optional if the skin is intact ignores the wound’s inherent risk and the need for strict asepsis during dressing changes.