Putting on medical anti-embolism stockings

Checking whether stockings may be put on at all, measuring correctly, putting them on without folds and checking the skin.

Content created with AI assistance from public clinical sources (RKI, AWMF) – may contain mistakes; if in doubt, your textbook is right

Translated from the German original, which is authoritative. The exam itself is in German.

Material

• Doctor’s order
• Stockings in the size determined by measuring (tape measure)
• If needed, a donning aid, disposable gloves

Typical mistakes in the exam

• Putting on stockings without checking the contraindications
• Folding over the edge or leaving folds
• Not taking the stockings off for days to check the skin

What examiners ask afterwards

• When must compression stockings not be put on?
• What is the difference between anti-embolism stockings and a compression bandage for a leg ulcer (Ulcus cruris)?
• How do you advise someone who refuses the stockings?

Sources

• S3-Leitlinie Prophylaxe der venösen Thromboembolie (VTE), Version 4.1 (2026), AWMF 003-001