Cath Lab Digest

Anna Braden, RN, BSN, CWOCN

  Taking pictures of wounds for documentation has become standard for wound care nurses. Some physicians will not accept patients for transfer without a recent photograph of the wound(s). However, the increasing number of patients placed in isolation to prevent spreading of infection provides a challenge for documenting wounds with pictures.

  Our facility policy states that the camera must be wiped with an antiseptic for at least 10 minutes before it can be used on another patient. Most clinicians do not have that time. So I started practicing what another nurse suggested — that is, placing the camera in a plastic bag. That generated a less-than-clear photograph (see Figure 1) and our physicians were not happy, preferring no picture at all.

  It occurred to me that to rectify the problem all there needed to be was a small opening for the lens to go through. Hence, before entering the isolation room, I placed the camera in a clear plastic bag and cut a small X where the lens could protrude. When the camera was turned on, the lens moved through the clear plastic sheet (see Figures 2, 3, and 4), resulting in a clear photograph (see Figure 5). The bag is discarded along with the clinician’s gloves, presumably reducing risk for infection.