RN Exam Practice
Management of CareQuestion 388 of 2368

At a dressing change, the nurse finds new thick, opaque, green drainage on a client's wound dressing. Which action should the nurse take?

  1. Document the finding as normal wound drainage
  2. Report the new purulent drainage to the health care provider
  3. Reassure the client that this drainage is expected at this stage
  4. Change to a drier dressing and reassess at the next shift
Show answer

Correct answer: Report the new purulent drainage to the health care provider

Purulent drainage is never normal in a wound bed. New purulent drainage should always be reported to the provider.

Source: Nursing Skills, 2nd edition (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 2023), Wound Care: Type and Amount of Exudate. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Practice the topic "Management of Care"

Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026