The nurse is setting up the sterile field for a sterile dressing change. A sterile gauze 4x4 falls with the corner 2 cm from the sterile field. Which action by the nurse is most appropriate?

Carefully remove the gauze and discard it; continue setting up the sterile field. A 1-inch (or 2.5 cm) border of the sterile drape is considered contaminated. Gauze that lands with a corner 2 cm from the edge should be discarded and the nurse should continue setting up the sterile field. The gauze was sterile when it landed, so only the gauze itself is considered contaminated, not the entire field. Discarding the entire field is not necessary or cost-effective. The gauze corner is considered contaminated, so pulling it away from the corner would contaminate the rest of the sterile field. The gauze is contaminated, so continuing to set up the sterile is inappropriate.

The nurse is setting up the sterile field for a sterile dressing ...

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Safety and Infection Control
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Category: Safety and Infection Control
Difficulty: 9

Topics: Communication & Documentation Delegation, Prioritization and Leadership Disease Prevention

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