Nursing — Advice Letter on Wound Care after Discharge
A ward nurse writes an advice letter to a 48-year-old patient explaining how to care for his surgical wound at home after an appendicectomy. This beginner advice case has a single clear topic, short notes with few distractors, and a clean safety net — the ideal starting point for practising patient-facing register.
Letter type
Advice
Write to
Patient / Carer
Target length
180–200 words
The case notes
Patient: Mr Daniel Okafor, 48 years old
Procedure: Laparoscopic appendicectomy; 3 small wounds — each closed with dissolvable sutures and covered with small adhesive dressings
Wound status: All wounds clean, dry and intact at discharge
Wound care instructions: Keep wounds dry for 48 hours; shower then (do not soak in a bath); dressings may be removed after 48 hours once dry; no creams or powders on the wounds
What to watch for: Increasing redness, warmth, swelling, discharge, or pain — see GP or come to the emergency department if these develop
Activity: Avoid heavy lifting (over 5 kg) for 2 weeks; light walking encouraged from today; driving to be discussed with GP after 1 week
Follow-up: No routine wound review needed if wounds remain clean; GP if any concern
Pain relief: Paracetamol and ibuprofen as needed; prescribed at discharge
Task: Write an advice letter to Mr Okafor explaining how to care for his wounds at home and what to watch out for.
Writing task
Write an advice letter to Mr Okafor explaining how to care for his wounds at home and what to watch out for.
What to include, what to cut
The hardest mark to win is selection. The same case notes contain decision-relevant facts and distractors. Here is what an examiner expects to see in a Grade B letter for this scenario, and what should be left out.
Include
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Keep wounds dry for 48 hours, then shower — no soaking
The most common patient error is getting wounds wet too soon. A specific time (48 hours) and a clear distinction between showering and soaking is more useful than 'keep dry'.
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The warning signs of infection: redness, warmth, swelling, discharge, worsening pain
A concrete safety net is the non-negotiable content of any patient advice letter. The examiner expects it.
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No heavy lifting for 2 weeks
A time-bound activity restriction that the patient needs to understand to protect the wound and prevent complications.
Leave out
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The surgical technique and the anaesthetic type
The patient needs care instructions, not an operative report. What happened in theatre does not help him manage his wounds at home.
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The pain relief prescription detail
State that pain relief is available if needed; the specific drugs and doses are on the printed prescription. Repeating them in the letter is unnecessary and pads the word count.
Criterion in focus · Genre & Style
Patient advice is the genre most frequently failed on register. Clinical language — 'surgical site infection indicators', 'wound exudate' — is wrong for a patient audience and loses Genre & Style marks even when every fact is correct. Plain terms: 'infection warning signs', 'discharge from the wound'. Read each sentence and ask: would a patient understand this without a medical background?
Now write the letter — and find out what is blocking your Grade B
Write a 180–200 words advice letter from these notes, paste it into the free checker for an instant read, then submit it for a human grade against all six criteria. Dr Mariam's team returns line-by-line feedback, from $12.