The following rules should be attended to in applying dressings:
i. Always prepare the new dressing before removing the old one.
ii. Always have hot and cold water at hand, and a vessel to place
the foul dressings in.
iii. Have one or more persons at hand ready to assist, and, to
prevent confusion, tell each person what they are to do before you
commence; thus, one is to wash out and hand the sponges, another to
heat the adhesive plaster, or hand the bandages and dressings, and,
if requisite, a third to support the limb, &c.
iv. Always stand on the outside of a limb to dress it.
v. Place the patient in as easy a position as possible, so as not to
fatigue him.
vi. Arrange the bed _after_ changing the dressings; but in some
cases you will have to do so before the patient is placed on it.
vii. Never be in a hurry when applying dressings, do it quietly.
viii. When a patient requires moving from one bed to another, the
best way is for one person to stand on each _side_ of the patient,
and each to place an arm behind his back, while he passes his arms
over their necks, then let their other arms be passed under his
thighs, and by holding each other's hands, the patient can be raised
with ease, and removed to another bed. If the leg is injured, a
third person should steady it; and if the arm, the same precaution
should be adopted. Sometimes a stout sheet is passed under the
patient, and by several people holding the sides, thy patient is
lifted without any fatigue or much disturbance.