What Should a Wound Care Order Include for a Canadian Long-Term Care Home?
A wound care order for a long-term care home is not a single product; it is a short list of categories sized to the resident census. Ordered well, it keeps every dressing change supplied without a store room full of expired stock. Ordered by habit, it drifts toward whichever item was last restocked. Here is what belongs on the order and how to set the par behind it.
What should a wound care order include?
Group the order into four blocks so nothing is bought twice. Dressings by type and size, fixation such as medical tape and bandages, cleansing and skin protection basics, and the non-sterile consumables used every shift. Each block gets its own par level, which makes the monthly review a check of four numbers rather than a re-reading of the whole storeroom.
Which dressing categories does a care home use most?
Skin tears, pressure injuries and surgical follow-ups drive most of the demand. Match the dressing to the wound, not to a single house brand.
| Wound type | Common dressing | Format note for care homes |
|---|---|---|
| Skin tear | Non-adherent contact layer | Small sizes, changed often |
| Pressure injury | Foam or hydrocolloid | Contour shapes for the heel and sacrum |
| Light exudate | Sterile gauze and a secondary pad | Stock both 2x2 and 4x4 |
| Fixation | Medical tape and self-adherent wrap | Hypoallergenic tape for fragile skin |
Which items must stay sterile, and which do not?
The split matters for both the order and the label. Dressings that contact an open wound, such as sterile 12-ply gauze sponges, are supplied sterile and must stay sealed until use. Items used around the change, such as double-tipped cotton swabs for skin care or a single-wrapped cotton swab for a dressing tray, are supplied non-sterile and are not for a sterile field. The order should state the status of each line so staff do not treat the two as interchangeable.
How do you set wound care par levels?
Start from the resident census and the dressing change frequency, multiply by the days between deliveries, and add a buffer for a wound flare. A care home with a high turn-over of short-interval changes needs a wider buffer than one with a stable census. Review the par after any change in census or dressing protocol, because a number set once and never revisited drifts away from real use.
How does a care home order differ from a hospital or clinic order?
The categories are the same, but the formats are not. A care home runs many small, frequent changes across many residents, so it leans toward smaller dressings and single-use packs. A hospital or clinic may stock fewer, larger formats for fewer patients. Ordering care-home par from a hospital list usually means oversize dressings and wasted packs.
Ordering for a clinic, lab or care home? Wholesale and multi-site ordering covers account setup and case pricing, and the long-term care collection lists the lines stocked for institutional buyers. Reselling? become a distributor.
Running a long-term care home? See our long-term care supplies.
This product is not intended to treat or diagnose any disease.
References
- Wounds Canada - Healthcare Professionals Resources (checked 4 October 2026)
- IPAC Canada (checked 4 October 2026)
- Ontario Regulation 79/10 (Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2020) (checked 4 October 2026)
Printable companion: the free wound care stock checklist template lists the categories and par fields a care home order should cover.
Want the par list pre-structured? The supply self-check worksheet prints the columns a care-home stock review asks for.
Related Reading
- How Canadian Home Care Providers Stock Wound Care Supplies
- Building a Wound Care Cart for Canadian Clinics
- Wound Care Dressings for Canadian Hospitals: A Procurement Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a wound care order for a care home include?
A care home order usually covers four groups: dressings by type and size, fixation such as tape and bandages, cleansing and skin protection basics, and the non-sterile consumables used every shift. Grouping the order this way makes the par level for each line easier to set and review.
Which wound care items have to stay sterile?
Dressings that go onto an open wound, such as gauze sponges and the primary dressing, are supplied sterile and stay sterile until the pack is opened. Many items used around a dressing change, such as plain double-tipped cotton swabs for skin around a wound or for general care, are supplied non-sterile and are not intended for a sterile field.
How do you set wound care par levels in long-term care?
Start from the resident census and the dressing change frequency, then multiply by the days between deliveries. Add a buffer for the dressings used at a higher rate during a wound flare. Review the par after any change in census or dressing protocol, because a fixed par that never moves drifts away from real use.
Does a care home order differ from a hospital or clinic order?
The categories are similar but the sizes and pack formats differ. A care home runs smaller, more frequent changes across many residents, so it leans toward smaller dressings and single-use packs, while a hospital or clinic may stock fewer, larger formats for fewer patients.
Last updated: October 2026. CliniEco Medical is a licensed medical device establishment (MDEL #35334).
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