The nurse is examining a patient's lower leg and notices a draining ulceration. Which of these actions is most appropriate in this situation?

A) Wash hands and then contact the physician.
B) Continue to examine the ulceration and then wash hands.
C) Wash hands, put on gloves, and continue with the examination of the ulceration.
D) Wash hands, proceed with rest of the physical examination, and perform the examination of the leg ulceration last.

The examiner should wear gloves when the potential contact with any body fluids is present. In this situation, the nurse should wash his or her hands, put on gloves, and continue examining the ulceration. Although the nurse should wash his or her hands, there is no need to contact the physician at this point. The nurse should wash his or her hands immediately if they come into contact with bodily fluids and then apply gloves and continue the examination. The nurse should not change the order of the examination as an examiner should stick to his/her established system of examination so avoid omissions.