Aseptic dressing change

Dressing change on a wound healing by primary intention (aseptic) using a no-touch technique — one of the most common procedures in the practical part.

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

• Hand disinfectant, non-sterile disposable gloves, protective gown if needed
• Sterile forceps or sterile gloves
• Sterile gauze swabs, wound irrigation solution or antiseptic as ordered
• New wound dressing as ordered by the doctor or per the wound care plan (Wundkonzept), fixation material
• Disinfected work surface, waste container, tape measure and camera for wound documentation if needed

Typical mistakes in the exam

• Touching sterile materials with the gloves used to remove the old dressing
• No hand disinfection between removing the old dressing and applying the new one
• Wiping one swab over the wound several times
• Not describing the wound — documenting only “dressing changed”

What examiners ask afterwards

• How do you recognise a wound infection, and what do you do then?
• Why do you wipe from the inside outwards on an aseptic wound?
• What is the difference between aseptic and septic wound care?

Sources

• KRINKO: Händehygiene in Einrichtungen des Gesundheitswesens (RKI, Änderung 2026)
• Expertenstandard Pflege von Menschen mit chronischen Wunden (DNQP, 2. Aktualisierung 2025)