After surgery, trauma, or for patients with pressure sores who are bedridden, proper dressing changes and wound care determine whether the wound heals quickly or becomes a prolonged infection. Performing this at home spares the patient the effort of travelling, but sterile technique must be maintained.
Principles of home wound care
- Wash hands thoroughly and use sterile instruments and gauze for every dressing change.
- Clean the wound with the correct solution and technique for the specific wound type.
- Do not apply any substance not prescribed by a doctor to an open wound.
- Keep the wound appropriately dry and aerated; use the correct dressing type for the stage of healing.
- Monitor progress and follow the dressing schedule advised by the nurse.
Seek immediate reassessment when: the wound becomes increasingly warm, red, swollen, and painful; purulent discharge or a bad odour develops; wound edges separate or gape; or the patient develops a fever. These may indicate infection.
Cases that should be handled by a nurse or doctor
- Post-operative wounds and cosmetic surgery wounds requiring suture removal at the right time.
- Pressure sores in bedridden patients; infected wounds.
- Large wounds requiring negative pressure wound therapy (VAC).
- Specialist procedures: PICC line insertion/care, tracheostomy cannula change, gastrostomy tube change.
What the cost of wound care & dressing changes depends on
The cost depends on the size and condition of the wound (clean or infected), the technique required (routine dressing, suture removal, debridement, negative-pressure therapy), how many dressing changes are needed, and the travel distance. A nurse assesses it by phone and quotes you before setting out.
Home wound care with GreenCare
GreenCare nurses perform dressing changes, suture removal, and post-operative wound care at your home or hotel using correct sterile technique. For complex cases, we have specialist doctors and nurses who perform advanced procedures and provide specific guidance before carrying them out.
Need personalised advice for your loved one? Call our hotline 094 368 81 15 (24/7) — calling to ask a question or to book costs nothing. GreenCare has doctors who come to examine, nurses who carry out doctor's orders (injections, infusions, dressing changes), remote consultation by video call, and a review of the medicines you are taking; an in-depth remote consultation, or any one after the first, is a paid service. For children we take examination and acute care only — not long-term care at home, and not newborns or expectant mothers. We confirm we have staff in your area and provide transparent pricing before we begin.
Where this service is available
This service is available in 11 locations where Y Tế Xanh has its own in-house doctors and nurses on the ground, who come to your home or hotel: Da Nang, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hue, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Hai Phong, Phong Nha – Quang Tri, Quy Nhon, Kon Tum.
