What is the purpose of a bandage in medical treatment?

A bandage primarily serves the purpose of holding dressings in place over a wound or injury. This is critical in medical treatment as it ensures that the area remains protected from external contaminants, reduces movement that could aggravate the injury, and helps to maintain an optimal environment for healing.

While administering medication, cleaning wounds, and measuring vital signs are important aspects of medical care, they are not functions of a bandage. Typically, medication is delivered through specific methods, wound cleaning is performed with appropriate antiseptics or solutions, and vital signs are assessed using various medical instruments. Therefore, the role of a bandage is specifically focused on securing dressings to facilitate effective care and protection of the injury site.