Objectives:

General: to know the use of soap in wounds by health professionals. Specific: to know the characteristics of the wounds treated with soap, the type of soap used in the treatment of wounds and the documents on which professionals rely for the use of soap in wounds.

Methodology:

Cross-sectional descriptive observational study. An ad hoc questionnaire was carried out to health professionals from three associations related to the treatment of people with injuries. The questionnaires were completed online through the Google Drive platform.

Results:

A total of 179 questionnaires were completed. 74% of respondents use soap for the treatment of wounds (of these, they use it regularly 43% and occasionally 57%), also the use of soap was referred in dirty wounds (96'7%), with presence or suspicion of infection (55,4%) or superficial (50%). The main types of soap used were soapy antiseptics (65,4%) and gels (22%), and 82% reported not knowing protocols or guidelines that recommend the use of soap for wounds. Other responses were collected in free text, which showed a wide variety of opinions.

Discussion and conclusions:

The results of the study show a habitual use of soap for the treatment of wounds, as well as a lack of consensus and a heterogeneous clinical practice. The data points to the experience of professionals as the main source of knowledge.

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