Objectives:

To study the clinical practice of practicing Spanish clinical nurses with respect to cutting and reusing unused dressings from previously opened containers, on the same or other patients, and its relationship with the level of care, professional experience or skills. difficulties in accessing material.

Methodology:

Cross-sectional observational study using non-probabilistic sampling through social networks for 30 days.

Results:

Almost 90% of Spanish clinical nurses cut dressings to adapt them to the size of the wounds, saving the leftover portions to use with the same or other patients despite the fact that a similar percentage consider that this practice could entail risks for the patient’s health. patient safety in terms of contamination of those portions. The main reason for this practice is the absence of presentations adapted to the size of the wounds and the feeling of waste or lack of product in future interventions when discarding unused remains.

Conclusions:

The practice of cutting wound dressings to adapt them to the size of the wounds, saving the excess portions to use with the same or other patients, is a very widespread practice without differences in terms of level or health sector. It is necessary to continue studying the reasons for this practice, carrying out cost-efficiency studies and the possible consequences of contamination of unused portions stored for future uses.

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