The nurse is providing discharge teaching to a patient with skin traction. What instruction should the nurse include to promote skin integrity?

Option D is essential in maintaining proper traction and alignment. Knots and kinks in the traction ropes can interfere with the traction force, leading to inadequate realignment of the fractured bone.

a. Reapplying the traction tape every 4 hours is not necessary and may cause skin irritation and complications. Traction tape is typically applied securely and remains in place for an extended period unless specifically indicated otherwise.

b. Keeping the patient's leg in a dependent position is incorrect. The affected leg should be elevated to reduce swelling and promote venous return to prevent further complications such as venous thromboembolism.

c. Elevating the foot of the bed to promote venous return is not a recommended practice for skin traction. The affected limb should be elevated to promote venous return, but the bed should remain flat to maintain the proper alignment and traction force.

Skin traction and skeletal traction are both used to stabilize and immobilize fractured bones, but they differ in the method of application. Skin traction uses weights attached to adhesive straps on the skin near the fractured area, while skeletal traction involves weights connected to metal pins inserted directly into the bone.

a. Skin traction is less invasive than skeletal traction because it does not require surgical insertion of metal pins.

c. Skin traction is not only used for chronic orthopedic conditions; it is commonly used for acute fractures as well.

d. Skin traction is not used to replace surgical interventions; it is an adjunctive intervention used in conjunction with other treatments for fractures.