Glove Use

Gloves should therefore be used during all patient-care activities that may involve exposure to blood and all other body fluid (including contact with mucous membrane and non-intact skin), during contact precautions and outbreak situations.

The efficacy of gloves in preventing contamination of health-care workers’ hands and helping to reduce transmission of pathogens in health care has been confirmed in several clinical studies.

Nevertheless, health-care workers should be informed that gloves do not provide complete protection against hand contamination.

Pathogens may gain access to the caregivers’ hands via small defects in gloves or by contamination of the hands during glove removal. Hand hygiene by rubbing or washing remains the basic to guarantee hand decontamination after glove removal

The impact of wearing gloves on adherence to hand hygiene policies has not been definitively established, since published studies have yielded contradictory results. However, the recommendation to wear gloves during an entire episode of care for a patient who requires contact precautions, without considering indications for their removal, such as an indication for hand hygiene, could actually lead to the transmission of germs.

it is important that health-care workers are able to differentiate between specific clinical situations when gloves should be worn and changed and those where their use is not required. Moreover, the health-care worker should be accurately informed on the moment for donning and removing gloves.

Indications for gloving and for glove removal:

	Indication
Gloves on	1) Before a sterile procedure 2) When anticipating contact with blood or another body fluid, regardless of the existence of sterile conditions and including contact with non-intact skin and mucous membrane 3) Contact with a patient (and his/her immediate surroundings) during contact precautions.
Gloves off	1) As soon as gloves are damaged (or non-integrity suspected) 2) When contact with blood, another body fluid, non-intact skin and mucous membrane has occurred and has ended 3) When contact with a single patient and his/her surroundings, or a contaminated body site on a patient has ended 4) When there is an indication for hand hygiene.