Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, people are advised to stay home. Social distancing and proper hygiene are recommended as a measure to help curb the spreading of the virus. With the house full and children playing, minor accidents might occur. There might be cuts, scrapes, and scratches while your children play. You might think a cut or scrape is minor; however, when the skin opens through a wound there’s a risk of infection. Therefore, as a parent, it’s important to know how to treat and care for wounds and also to know when to see a doctor.
Usually, a small scrape, cut, or scratch usually heals by itself with time. Before touching the wound, ensure you clean your hands with an antiseptic to prevent infecting it. You can buy Hibiclens and have it in your home for such emergencies. It is an antiseptic antimicrobial skin cleanser used by healthcare practitioners. Germs are killed on contact and it cleanses your skin as well as your child’s while its effectiveness lasts up to 24 hours. You can follow the following steps when an injury isn’t serious:
What to do for a mild injury
- Keep pressure on the wound to stop blood flow by pressing on it using a clean cloth. If there is a lot of bleeding, you’ll need to hold the wound longer
- Don’t lift the cloth while holding pressure, it might lead to more bleeding
- Clean the wound to remove all the germs and bacteria that might cause infections by running water over it for five minutes. Clean the skin around the wound using soap. The Hibiclens is really effective for this case too
- Check the wound every day by gently taking off the bandage to watch for infection signs.
- If needed – search for “walk in clinic near me” to find a walk-in clinic. A walk-in clinic by its most basic definition is a category of medical facility that accepts patients without the need for an appointment. As the name suggests, patients just walk into the clinic in order to receive treatment.
When to see a doctor
Sometimes the cuts or scrapes might be serious injuries and you’ll need the help of a doctor. There are signs to watch out for in order to know when it’s time to see a doctor. If the injury won’t stop continuously bleeding after you treat it, then seek the help of a medical practitioner.
If the wound is deep and its edges are apart, a nurse or doctor will use an anesthetic to numb the skin. It is good to ensure the doctor practices proper hand hygiene before touching the wound to prevent infecting it further. The doctor will need to close the wound by stitching it if it’s long, deep, or the edges are far apart.
Another sign to watch out for is if the wound is infected. The signs of infections include:
- Increased redness around the wound
- Cloudy wound drainage, or yellow and greenish pus coming out of the wound
- Spreading of red streaking from the wound
- Increased fever
- Tenderness, increased swelling, and pain around the wound
If the above symptoms of infections are visible, you need to see a doctor immediately. The doctor will prescribe antibiotics to help with the infection. In order to avoid infections, ensure your hands are clean every time you tend to the wound. Clean the skin around the wound with antiseptic also to get rid of bacteria.
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, medical professionals have been advising people on how to avoid getting infected. Part of the recommended practices is maintaining proper hand hygiene and not touching our faces. Social distancing has been prompted as the disease can be spread from an infected person to another one through coughing or sneezing. Wearing face masks is recommended to prevent droplets from infected people from landing on your respiratory organs.
Cleaning hands and not touching your face is highly recommended. Clean your hands using soap frequently and avoid touching your face completely. Droplets from coughing or sneezing can land on surfaces and when you touch the surface you might infect yourself. You might touch the surface and touch your face without cleaning your hands. This will put you at risk of getting infected with COVID-19. Traveling has also changed and it is important to follow travel safety tips to stay safe if you consider traveling.
Ensure you and your family are safe before the pandemic gets under control. Follow the CDC guidelines on proper hand hygiene to prevent spreading and infection. Alongside proper and frequent hand washing, follow all other precautions laid out to help curb further spreading of the virus.
