Latex gloves question

[Saltex]

So i've been using latex gloves for the past 3 years, and only today do I see that I have been using non sterile latex gloves, this kinda worries me in a sense because I am dealing with people everyday with open wounds and I am touching those areas with the gloves which aren't even steralised, so my question is can using non sterile gloves still prevent cross contamination, I like to be very clean in what I do everyday, and this kinda makes me feel guilty now only realising this now.

 

[Zenbaas]

You understand the concept of cross contamination...? Also yes you should be using sterile gloves if you are working in and around the wounds. Don't know how you could have missed this TBH.

 

[Saltex]

I just came across this article for interest sake after doing quite a bit of googling http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14985664

Which states "there is no clinically important difference in infection rates between using clean nonsterile gloves and sterile gloves during the repair of uncomplicated traumatic lacerations."

I do find this kinda strange tbh.

 

[Hemi300c]

That sounds like a Mac spin doctor effort.

 

[Greylor]

I am the procurement manager for a hospital, so I'll chime in here.

Unsterile gloves are primarily for the protection of the user, not the person they are working on. That being said, unsterile gloves are considerably safer for the person with the wound than not using gloves at all. The gloves are far less infections than your skin. It's the same reason you use unsterile gloves in a kitchen and not fully sterile gloves.

The only place we use sterile gloves is in theatre itself.

Generally, when you're dealing with wounds small enough to not be surgical you would be manually sterilising the area. The risk of infection isn't from your unsterile gloves, it's from the area around the wound.

 

[Saltex]

I am the procurement manager for a hospital, so I'll chime in here.

Unsterile gloves are primarily for the protection of the user, not the person they are working on. That being said, unsterile gloves are considerably safer for the person with the wound than not using gloves at all. The gloves are far less infections than your skin. It's the same reason you use unsterile gloves in a kitchen and not fully sterile gloves.

The only place we use sterile gloves is in theatre itself.

Generally, when you're dealing with wounds small enough to not be surgical you would be manually sterilising the area. The risk of infection isn't from your unsterile gloves, it's from the area around the wound.

Thanks for this, any other safety tips you could provide would much appreciated.

 

[Greylor]

Thanks for this, any other safety tips you could provide would much appreciated.

What exactly are you doing? Open wounds could be anything from a cut to a gaping hole.

 

[Dave]

So i've been using latex gloves for the past 3 years, and only today do I see that I have been using non sterile latex gloves, this kinda worries me in a sense because I am dealing with people everyday with open wounds and I am touching those areas with the gloves which aren't even steralised, so my question is can using non sterile gloves still prevent cross contamination, I like to be very clean in what I do everyday, and this kinda makes me feel guilty now only realising this now.

You might cause an infection to the patient, but there is the same minimal risk for cross contamination whether the gloves were sterile or not. Are you actually a medical professional? Just, it's a strange question for someone with any medical training...

 

[Gnome]

Both my parents are doctors. You only use sterile gloves in surgery.

If you are treating patients outside of a surgical theater you have so many other contamination sources to be worried about, the gloves are the last thing you should be thinking about.

Don't know exactly how hospitals buy their stock but sterilized gloves are sealed as a pair. In general a pair is pretty expensive so if you had to use a sterilized pair every single time, the costs will go up very quickly.

 

[Electric]

Sterile gloves are total overkill.
The medium itself is not condusive to picking up contaminants.
It's the same as working with fresh plastic like black bags for eg.
I grew gourmet mushrooms for years and this is an important factor in preventing contamination.
using new black bags for example is typically free of contaminants.