A patient has undergone a skin biopsy. After the procedure, the nurse should instruct the patient to:

Explanation

• The biopsy site should be monitored for bleeding. The dressing should be left intact for at least 8 hours to allow for closure and healing

• After removal of the dressing, the patient should clean the site daily with soap and water

• Wet-to-dry dressings should not be used for biopsy sites

• Redness around the site immediately after the procedure is expected. However, increased redness, swelling, pain, warmth, drainage, and/or development of a fever are all signs of a possible infection at the site and should be reported

• There should be very minimal bleeding and no yellow or green drainage seen at the site. This finding could indicate infection and should be reported

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