Double Gloving Can Protect You

Benefits of Double Gloving

                                                           

Healthcare providers observed blood on their hands after surgery more frequently when they wore a single pair of gloves than when they wore two pairs of gloves and generally had a favorable opinion on double gloving, according to a recent study.

                                                           

The study, appearing in a recent article of the AORN (Association of periOperative Registered Nurses) Journal, examines the effect of double gloving with inner indicator gloves on the durability of inner gloves and the detection of glove tears or perforations during surgery.

                                                           

“Double gloving by itself may protect the wearer’s skin from needle sticks because breaches are more likely to occur to the outer gloves than the inner gloves,” according to the study’s authors, Denise Korniewicz, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Maher El-Masri, PhD, RN.

                                                           

The study also found that healthcare providers who wore dark-colored gloves under light-colored gloves changed them during surgery with significantly more frequency than those who wore two pairs of the same color.