Which statement indicates effective learning by the nursing student in home care for preventing pressure ulcers?

• A. I should educate the patient about the signs of wound infection.
• B. I should discuss reactive surfaces that may increase pressure to the wound.
• C. I should instruct the patient to dispose of the soiled dressings by incineration.
• D. I should instruct the patient to evaluate the healing by using the pressure ulcer staging system.

Answer: (A)

Preventing pressure ulcers in home care hinges on teaching patients to monitor wounds and act early. Educating the patient about signs of wound infection is the most practical, proactive step because infection can accelerate tissue damage, slow healing, and raise the risk that skin integrity will deteriorate under pressure. When patients learn to look for redness, warmth, swelling, increased drainage, foul odor, or fever, they can seek timely evaluation and care, helping to preserve skin quality and prevent ulcers from getting worse.

The other statements don’t fit effective home‑care prevention: discussing surfaces that increase pressure runs counter to pressure-relief principles; incinerating soiled dressings is unsafe and inappropriate; and using a pressure ulcer staging system to evaluate healing is a clinician‑oriented tool, not a patient self‑assessment method.