Hospitals supplying latex free gloves

[bethin]

I work in a small 80 bed community hospital. I have had a latex allergy for ~ 2 years. Severe enough that my entire body was one huge hive and it took 90mg of prednisone to cure and I took that dose for 6 months*. My hospital will put ONE box at the nurses station for me to use. It is against infection control for me to carry extra gloves in my pockets which I agree. However, I'm an aide. I'm everywhere. As most of you know, you never know when you will come into contact with fluids. Simply pulling up a pt in bed you can touch a wet allegra. It is also highly inconvient for me to be going to the nurses station everytime I need a pair of gloves. If I answer a call light and that pt needs the BSC NOW am I supposed to say "sorry, I have to walk 100 feet to get a pair of gloves"?

But it's no longer just me with a latex allergy. Several of my coworkers have developed one, not yet severe as mine. I know that the more we are exposed to it that the greater are chances are of having severe reactions. I spoke with them today and told them that I would look into the matter.

I need ideas. I am planning on going to management with a proposal. Not only will it benefit employees but it will also benefit patients. Does anyone know how much of an increase it is to supply latex free gloves? I've been doing internet research but I want reliable resources. I'm an aide so I don't have access to the prestigious journals that nurses do. I would love to hear from those who are in infection control and management.

The problem that I'm forseeing is that our census has been low and there have been budget concerns. How do I go about convincing management that this is a must? Please don't yell, but I have been wearing regular gloves. I know that this is dangerous but I'm not about to tell a pt to wait while I get latex free gloves. I have taken photos of my hands as a possible exhibit (already thinking like a lawyer, heh?). I also thought it was the law that an employer had to make sure that their employees were safe. But how far does this safety law go?

Sorry so long but any help would be greatly appreciated.

*Even though I went to the ER immediately after experiencing the first hive which came after my yearly TB test, it was determined not to be workman's comp and I had to pay out ~$700 for treatment. And I was out of work because the hives were in my ears, on my face, etc and I took the term awful looking to a new level. :angryfire

[AprilRNhere]

I hope hospitals are not planning on going latex free!

I use latex without any problems, as do most people. I hate those vinyl and neoprene (?) gloves. I find it impossible to start an IV wearing those.

I hope facilities continue to offer both latex, and latex alternatives.

Not trying to flame...but I think this is a self-centered view. Latex can be inhaled, and very severe. We're a latex free hospital...luckily since I have an intolerance to it already. We have a dr who has such a severe allergy she had an anaphylactic reaction by stepping out of the elevator on the med/surg floor. Come to find out...someone had a balloon 100 feet away and used the elevator to bring it up. Luckily she had her epi-pen.

I hated non-latex when I started using them in LTC... as I'm sure many healthcare workers hated gloves at all when they first came out. You just adjust to it and learn how to do things with them on.

[GeauxNursing]

this is a great thread! I knew, of course, that there are those with latex allergies. A girl in my class is slightly sensitive to it. But i had no idea it was so common, or that it can come on gradually with exposure. thanks for the info everyone!

[GeauxNursing]

I hope hospitals are not planning on going latex free!

I use latex without any problems, as do most people. I hate those vinyl and neoprene (?) gloves. I find it impossible to start an IV wearing those.

I hope facilities continue to offer both latex, and latex alternatives.

Well my understanding of latex allergies goes like this: if you are allergic, you CANNOT be near it, right? risk for severe reactions?

My clinical sites have actually been the only exposure I have had had to the vinyl ones. Kind of uncomfortable, not as form-fitting as I'm used to (use all latex at the dialysis clinic.) My small hands need small gloves! Just something we will have to get used to.

I think that is is DEFINITELY an issue, and healthcare facilities are pretty much obligated to follow suit, right? To protect staff AND clients? Makes sense. You can't have a nurse whose throat is swollen shut trying to do trach care on a pt. who is suffering from hives! ha!

but seriously.

[EmmaG, RN]

It's progressive and there's nothing you can do but avoidance of exposure. I can definitely tell the difference in working a non-latex facility and one that still uses latex gloves. During the time I was at the non-latex hospital (and it was newly built, so no left-over latex in the environment), I had no itching, sneezing, watery eyes/nose, wheezing or any other signs of allergy. Everywhere else, by the end of the shift I'm miserable; if I work several days in a row, my eyes, face and hands are puffy, so I look pretty miserable too lol.

I don't have a severe reaction, but it started out much milder and has only grown worse...

[leslie :-D]

around 5 yrs ago, i noticed my hands itching after wearing latex gloves.

i would scratch them til they bled.

as it progressed, i noticed these huge blotches spreading:

my flank areas, my chest, my neck and my quads.

hives spreading everywhere.

upon showing the nm my reaction to latex, she had the audacity to tell me to get an md note, stating i had a sensitivity.

otherwise, i had to continue using the latex.

i was livid, and also frantically scratching myself all over.

(i was doing this in the supplies room.)

it just so happened, the med'l dir walked by, and asked what was going on.

in my 'fury', i pulled down my shirt (to expose my chest):

then lifted my shirt, to show my back;

a nsg asst noticed i was just about to undo my pants, and ran to my rescue.

she told the doc that my legs were all broken out in hives.

the director gave me diphenhydramine, and changed everything to latex-free, that very day.

he said it was a long time coming...

no thanks to my nm-

jane smith, rn, sob

leslie

[EmmaG, RN]

around 5 yrs ago, i noticed my hands itching after wearing latex gloves.

i would scratch them til they bled.

as it progressed, i noticed these huge blotches spreading:

my flank areas, my chest, my neck and my quads.

hives spreading everywhere.

upon showing the nm my reaction to latex, she had the audacity to tell me to get an md note, stating i had a sensitivity.

otherwise, i had to continue using the latex.

i was livid, and also frantically scratching myself all over.

(i was doing this in the supplies room.)

it just so happened, the med'l dir walked by, and asked what was going on.

in my 'fury', i pulled down my shirt (to expose my chest):

then lifted my shirt, to show my back;

a nsg asst noticed i was just about to undo my pants, and ran to my rescue.

she told the doc that my legs were all broken out in hives.

the director gave me diphenhydramine, and changed everything to latex-free, that very day.

he said it was a long time coming...

no thanks to my nm-

jane smith, rn, sob

leslie

Ugh. It is such a miserable feeling. I used to wake up scratching all over hours after getting home from work...

Good for the doc! And as far as your NM?

Well. Ya know what they say about karma :)

[AprilRNhere]

I recently found out my 5 year old son has a latex allergy. The dentist I took him to wasn't latex free. The hose they used to admin nitrous oxide was latex. Later that evening his face was swollen and he was having difficulty breathing. My VERY laid back husband called me at work freaking out. Luckily a dose of benedryl took care of it but I worry knowing it is a progressive allergy. He LOVES his dentist...but knowing since latex can be inhaled, we'll be switching to a latex free office for the future.

[Blaze RN]

OK, here's my story. I'll try to be brief... I left a 15 yr job in the city with a suspected latex glove sensitivity. The new hospital claimed that they were "latex safe". After a week of orientation, I developed a hand rash, itchy/watering eyes, nasal congestion, and a fuzzy feeling. I thought..."It's my allergies flaring up". By the start of the 3 rd week,when I was training on my new unit, I had developed anxiety, facial rash,and asthma. On the way home after working my second 12 hr shift that week , I got chest pain and thought I was having an MI ! I then contacted my allergist who stated to take benadryl and get to an ER. Anyway, the new employer ignored my complaints and S/S. I wrote letters to H.R. and then the president of the hospital. According to OSHA at that time, They could only require that the hospital supply the employee with non latex gloves. The employer is not required to find you another position in their facility. In my case they did try, but where ever I went I suffered from the latex in the environment. This allergy is cumulative and deadly. I suggest that you contact the H.R. dept first and document your s/s. See an allergist who will further test and document the presence of a latex sensitivity or allergy. You can try to contact OSHA, by now they may have updated their regs since then. I eventually sued under workers comp and won. But... your settlement is based on a percentage of your gross income minus the lawyers fees. I now work in home health care. It's a nice job, but I do miss working in a hospital setting. I truly miss the M/S - ortho patients. And BTW non latex gloves cost the same as latex gloves.

[BeeSunnyRN]

Well my understanding of latex allergies goes like this: if you are allergic, you CANNOT be near it, right? risk for severe reactions?

My clinical sites have actually been the only exposure I have had had to the vinyl ones. Kind of uncomfortable, not as form-fitting as I'm used to (use all latex at the dialysis clinic.) My small hands need small gloves! Just something we will have to get used to.

I think that is is DEFINITELY an issue, and healthcare facilities are pretty much obligated to follow suit, right? To protect staff AND clients? Makes sense. You can't have a nurse whose throat is swollen shut trying to do trach care on a pt. who is suffering from hives! ha!

but seriously.

Latex/Natural Rubber is pretty much EVERYWHERE in our society. both in and out of the hospital. So it is impossible to always avoid it. The best you can do is to limit your exposure.

My allergist explained it this way - allergies are like a bucket. You can have a little of this, a little of that but once your bucket is full (of allergens) then it just takes a drop of something else to make it overflow. If I'm already reacting to something - say just dust or seasonal allergies - all relatively mild in my case and then I get a big wiff of tires/balloons/latex gloves/rubber stairwell treads or what ever - then I'm in big trouble fast. However if I'm not really reacting to anything at the time - pollen is down, no questionable foods, lotion or potion exposure recently - then I can take a quick walk past the auto dept. at Walmart or venture out to buy shoes without getting too close to the rubber soled athletic shoes in relative safety.

Since none of us can completely avoid latex it is more a matter of limiting exposure which is why it is so important to know what you are being exposed to when inpatient. I can tell if I'm reactive & leave if I'm awake but strap me to a gurney, drug me and make me more vulnerable by illness or surgery - I'm more likely to have a reaction and less able to let you know that I'm having trouble.

This is why we MUST take our patients and co-workers seriously when they tell us latex makes them a 'little itchy' or makes their mouth feel funny or whatever. I once reacted strongly to a TB test. Within 20 minutes I had huge welts at the injection site that later spread up my arm. By the time it was time to read the test 2-3 days later all was negative. With a little research we discovered the syringe had a latex plunger and had been drawn up in advance leaving the solution in contact with that plunger before it was given to me. Subsequent annual tests using a latex free syringe have all been without any problems. Just a little thing that no one really thought of at the time.

moral here: EDUCATE and LIMIT exposure PRN