Do you wear gloves

[mellow]

Sorry I have so many questions but you guys are so helpful. I was woundering do you wear gloves most of the time, like when taking blood, giving injections etc. I remeber being in a hospital and one of the nurses put some pill like thing up someones bum with no glove. surely this isn't normal practice. Also do you worry about catching something contagious or have you pricked your self with a needle after it's come in contract with someone else.

Thanks

[OBNURSEHEATHER]

Well, I ALWAYS wear gloves when dealing with, or there is a possibility of dealing with, someone else's body fluids. Especially anyone's BUM!

Heather

[gojack]

Shoot, I don't have time with putting gloves on. I would have been able to give the suppository without a glove, eat a sandwich for lunch, and still use a bedpan for my own bodily functions//// all at the one and same time. That way, I would have had more time to chart all the things that I supposedly have done, for the lawyers and administrators to pore over. And to protect my own license..... It's managed care we give. It's nothing short of amazing!

[Allison P]

I work in ICU, so I always wear gloves. You never know what you might find when you walk into a pts. room. We also deal with MRSA, VRE, hepatitis, etc. You have to be careful and protect yourself and your patients.

Allison P:)

[SHELLYBELLYRN]

Me, too............I'm a glove-wearer. DEFINITELY when drawing blood. ALWAYS when dealing with bottoms. YES when giving injections (although, I confess, I've probably given a couple of pediatric immunizations without.........just not thinking).

[Vsummer1]

Having already contracted hep c, and having spent 48 weeks fighting it and winning the battle at serious cost to my health, sanity and livelyhood, not to mention that the medication cost as much as minivan, there is NO WAY that I WILL EVER DO any procedure that might in some way have a bodily fluid enter a small unknown cut on my hand.

I wear gloves for any invasive or potentially invasive procedure. I don't get carried away though, for instance, I don't wear gloves to do vitals.

Standard (formerly universal) precautions work BOTH ways. I protect myself and my patient from transmission.

To me it is just common sense.

[just licesensed]

That's preety gross. I know of some nurses who won't do mouth care without putting on gloves first. Then there are some who will empty and clean a bed pan with bare hands. Some things can be a personal choice, but others should really be mandatory and enforced.

Get a load of this experience I had re gloves:

doing praticum at a LTC center. Was told by staff to only use gloves if absolutly necessary. Apparently, peri-care was not considered one of those times! That's disgusting! Supposedly the center was under funded or something and couldn't afford to buy the amount of stock necessary. My instructor was awesome and brought boxes of gloves from the school for our use.

Gloves are your best first line of defense against all those nasty infections and viruses! Why would someone put themselves and other staff and patients at risk? Some people...

[KP RN]

I always wear gloves whenever I might be in contact with blood or body fluids.

I remember, back in the early 1980s, getting my a-s reamed at work for wearing gloves when cleaning up a patient's poop. Back then, us nurses were told to NEVER wear gloves when cleaning up someone cause it can hurt their feelings!!

[renerian, BSN, RN]

NO gloves YIKES.......................an potential for body fluid mixing......the gloves are on baby.....

renerian

[ButtRN]

When I first started nursing over 20 years ago(yikes,I am getting old!) glove were an option and I developed a bad habit of not wearing gloves! Times have changed and now YES I wear gloves! The only time I probably should and don't is starting IVs which I do several times just about daily, I use one glove and feel without a glove, I have to feel the vein and can't with a glove. Thus far, I haven't come in contact with blood. But I wouldn't advocate it to anyone else!

Recently several nurses I used to work with have contacted Hep C and the cause is probably patient care related! It's scarey! WEAR GLOVES!!!!!

[andrewsgranny, ASN, RN]

Well I have to admit I dont wear gloves as much as I should. I work in a Dr.'s office and I'm not exposed to as much as some of you are. But if we have a pt. with a shady past, I defintly wear those critter getters.=lol We should ALL ALWAYS wear gloves. Its easier if thats what your taught, and not something you've had to learn along the way.

[Helori]

I always wear gloves when in contact with body fluids or bathing patients. But I find that I can't start IV's or take blood with them on, I just can't feel the veins properly! I am very careful and haven't had any needlestick injuries....yet?!?!