Healing of Wound Injury and Self-care in Patient with No Antibiotics Prescribed at a Public Hospital

Abstract

Objective: To study of healing rate of skin wound injury and self-care of outpatient at Trauma and Emergency Department who did not receive antibiotics. Methods: This study collected data using telephone interview at the seventh day after treatment in outpatient at Trauma and Emergency Department who did not receive antibiotics. Interview questions covered wound healing, infection indicating clinical symptoms, and self-care of wound. Results: There were 362 participants with 58.3% of male and an average age of 27±18 years old. The injuries included abrasion wound (60.2% of subjects), and laceration wound (38.7% of subjects). Complete wound healing was found in 45.5% of subjects, while the wound among 55.5% of the subjects improved with red marks or scab. No subjects showed clinical manifestations indicating wound infection such as abscesses, pain, swelling, redness at the wound or fever. In self-care of the wound, 50.8% of the subjects cleaned the wound at their own home, and 76.2% cleaned their wound every day. The subjects used normal saline (75.9%), alcohol (58.1%), or povidone iodine (25.4%). 40.1% of the subjects reported their wounds exposed to water during bathing. Clinical factors relating to patients and wound showed no correlation with wound healing, but where the places that subjects cleaned their wound, frequency and solution used for wound dressing were statistically significant correlated to wound healing (P<0.001). Conclusion: There is no need in prescribing antibiotics for cleaned wound injury. However, appropriate self-care practice affects healing of the wound. Therefore, health professionals should pay attention to wound assessment, knowledge, self-care of wound to prevent infection and promote wound healing.