Touching blood without gloves

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in LTC.

I was shadowing a nurse yesterday at a facility who happened to be a veteran nurse ( 60 years or older). Well, a pt. fell and was bleeding from her had. I witnessed the fall, so I called for help and made sure the pt. stayed put until helped arrived. The nurse I was shadowing came and started to apply pressure to the pts. head without gloves, the pts. blood was all over the nurses' hand. I felt bad that I didn't do that... but ultimately my health comes first and I'm not touching blood without gloves.

As we were doing wound care she still didn't wear gloves. She said back in her day she has touched so many things with her bear hands that sometimes she doesn't wear them.

I understand that is how she is used to practicing.

Any thoughts?

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Just because it's done doesn't mean it's right. Keep a pair of gloves in a pocket at all times so that, in case of emergency, you don't have to go running for a pair.

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Specializes in Foot care.

Yes, being almost that old, I can understand (in general) where she's coming from. And I do agree it would have been best for her to have worn gloves. I'm not sure I'd categorize it as right vs. wrong, however. In an emergency situation (which this may or may not have been) it would be right to act this way to save someone's life; my opinion. The older nurse might be out of touch, in denial, have a death wish: there's new bad things out there that didn't exist when she was a younger nurse (HIV, resistant strains of bacteria). Perhaps she knew the patient and understood the risk to her own well-being to be very low (no skin breaks). On the other hand, according to the National Institute on Aging:

. . . almost one-fourth of all people with HIV/AIDS in this country are age 50 and older.

Dawg, I love the Internet.

Hmm. For some reason I thought the patient who fell was elderly...

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Being an Iron horse myself......I have to admit that there are time I should wear gloves and I don't. We just didn't wear them then. I remember one battle axe when I was in school......we were cleaning up this patient literally swimming in feces (tube feeding gave horrible diarrhea in those days) when she said " Gloves! Are you afraid to get a little poop on you Honey???" I said "Yes...:eek:".... she said, "that's an awful waste of money and supplies.....we don't do that here" I told her either I wear the gloves or she's cleaning up this patient by herself. I am guilty of tearing the fingers I use to feel for veins :o ......I just can't get used to feeling the veins and starting IVs with them....:rolleyes:.

I will draw the line however at the bleeding head laceration. In the time it takes to put on gloves in this situation the patient won't bleed to death and the risk of Hep C is far greater than the risk of the patient suffering deleterious effects from the wound so, in that respect she's way off base. If the wound care is more that a band aid.....why would you not wear gloves??? other than to prove a point on how cool (:confused:) you are as a seasoned nurse. However, I doubt her coolness in the absence of common sense.

Just wear gloves whenever humanly possible......:rolleyes::redbeathe

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Yes, being almost that old, I can understand (in general) where she's coming from. And I do agree it would have been best for her to have worn gloves. I'm not sure I'd categorize it as right vs. wrong, however. In an emergency situation (which this may or may not have been) it would be right to act this way to save someone's life; my opinion. The older nurse might be out of touch, in denial, have a death wish: there's new bad things out there that didn't exist when she was a younger nurse (HIV, resistant strains of bacteria). Perhaps she knew the patient and understood the risk to her own well-being to be very low (no skin breaks). On the other hand, according to the National Institute on Aging: Dawg, I love the Internet.

I agree with you but.......My greater concern is Hep C. Head lacerations bleed like crazy but most, unless involving scalp removal from a windsheild at a high rate of speed, while messy...... are not fatal and will sustain life until gloves can be put on. She's taking unecessary risks......it's her life though.....:grn:.

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Specializes in Foot care.
I agree with you but.......My greater concern is Hep C. Head lacerations bleed like crazy but most, unless involving scalp removal from a windsheild at a high rate of speed, while messy...... are not fatal and will sustain life until gloves can be put on. She's taking unecessary risks......it's her life though......

I don't disagree with you. We don't know enough about the patient; maybe the older nurse did, though it sounds like she was just nursing the way she'd always done.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

"She said back in her day she has touched so many things with her bear hands "

She has bear hands??:lol2::lol2:

(sorry, couldn't resist - the vision of a nurse with bear hands just popped into my head when I read the post)

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I am guilty of tearing the fingers I use to feel for veins :o ......I just can't get used to feeling the veins and starting IVs with them....:rolleyes:.

Sorry but you would not touch me I'd run you out of my room. everyone has their pet peeves that is one of mine do not touch me without gloves and dont pull the finger off. I dont care how many times you have to stick but glove up and do it right or get someone else

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Specializes in Telemetry, ICU/CCU, Specials, CM/DM.
I am guilty of tearing the fingers I use to feel for veins :o ......I just can't get used to feeling the veins and starting IVs with them....:rolleyes:.

Sorry but you would not touch me I'd run you out of my room. everyone has their pet peeves that is one of mine do not touch me without gloves and dont pull the finger off. I dont care how many times you have to stick but glove up and do it right or get someone else

I have also pulled the finger off the glove to feel the vein many, many times; however, when I go to stick, I always put a new glove on.

This older nurse may have known more about the patient, but the gloves are worn to also protect the patients from whatever the nurse may have on her hands, IMO. OP, always carry extra gloves with you to protect yourself and the patient.

Christy

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Specializes in CCT.

I see there's a whole bunch of folks here with non-intact skin....

What happens when blood gets on your arms or other areas where gloves don't cover?

I'm not saying don't wear gloves. But don't buy into the hype they make you invincible either.

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Specializes in CCT.
Sorry but you would not touch me I'd run you out of my room. everyone has their pet peeves that is one of mine do not touch me without gloves and dont pull the finger off. I dont care how many times you have to stick but glove up and do it right or get someone else

Do you even have any healthcare experince? For that matter do you refuse to touch anything in the outside world without gloves? Because there's a huge amount of nastiness out there not associated with hospitals or healthcare in any way. I do physical exam and assesment with out gloves all the time. If I'm not expecting to encounter bodily fluids, there's no reason to put gloves on.

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Specializes in Foot care.

I'm thinking of all the dirty hands reaching into the glove box... clean gloves are there to protect the wearer, not the person being treated. Clean is not sterile. And they might not be as clean as freshly washed hands.

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