Wearing gloves with HIV positive patients

[Leekri]

(First time writing here)

Yesterday during my clinical, I was interviewing a HIV positive patient. Half way through, the primary nurse asked me to talk with her in the hall, and when we spoke she told me to wear gloves whenever I was with the patient or touching things in his environment.

The patient didnt have any open open cuts or bodily fluids out, and I didn't have any cuts and was just talking with the patient. There weren't any signs saying to use any special precautions either...

I personally don't think that situation neccesitated the need for gloves, but I was hoping to get someone else's opinion on this. :)

Also I'm a student, and the nurse was really adamant on the gloves so I didn't really ask questions.

[Guest219794]

I hope you wore gloves when dealing with that nurse.

How do you know she (he?) is not HIV positive. Did she show you a recent negative test?

As luck would have it, your common sense in dealing with that nurse prevented you from acquiring whatever she might have. Presumable you did not have unprotected sex, share needles, or lick one of her wounds or open sores.

Similarly, universal precautions in dealing with patients will prevent disease transmission.

As a student, you will be exposed to all kinds of practices, from downright ignorant to brilliant. Your job is to sort through the and decide which kind of nurse you want to be.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

I wear gloves in any patient room. As soon as I walk in, I put gloves on. When I touch anything. Even patient belongings. It's as much for the patient protection as it is mine.

Universal precautions--hand hygiene always and wearing gloves when you expect to come in contact with bodily fluids.

No, I don't put on gloves as soon as I walk in, regardless of what I plan to do in there. It's not necessary. I put on gloves when I'm ready to do something that will potentially expose me to bodily fluids.

[guest769224]

Wearing gloves will not make a patient "feel like crap" or feel bad about themselves. It is an everyday common practice in the hospital.

Standard precautions should be observed for every patient interaction necessitating touch, which includes wearing gloves.

Instructing a student to wear gloves does not make the nurse paranoid or ignorant.

[guest769224]

Universal precautions--hand hygiene always and wearing gloves when you expect to come in contact with bodily fluids.

Hand hygiene is for much more than potential contact with bodily fluids.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Standard precautions should be observed for every patient interaction necessitating touch, which includes wearing gloves.

Well, then, you misunderstand standard precautions.

From the CDC, "Wear gloves when touching blood, body fluids, non-intact skin, mucous membranes, and contaminated items."

[Leekri]

Hospital setting. I just received the report (it's supposed to be bed side report, but they usually do it at their computers), and I entered the room just to introduce myself and did the 2 pieces of ID and checked that he was oriented and alert (which is something I do with all patients in the morning as it was taught to me by my instructor. While we were talking, I asked him about support systems since it was one of his concerns he brought up, so I guess it's like a verbal assessment? But I wasn't physically assessing him or anything)

The primary nurse who told me to put on the gloves pointed to his chart and was pretty clear that the gloves were because of the HIV+.

[iluvivt, BSN, RN]

Yes...that nurse was not correct .I do not wear gloves unless I will come into contact with the various bodily fluids and non=intact skin.I have to feel the quality of a vein before I cannulate it and I can't do that with gloves on.I must say though that sometimes when you are NOT expecting to come in conact with bodily fluids you do ....Surprise .....not a happy one so I do understand that if the patient is Hep C postive or HIV postive it's not a bad idea wear gloves. I have come into contact with blood on the underside of arms and not easily seen, because someone tried to start an IV before I was called.

[Guest219794]

Wearing gloves will not make a patient "feel like crap" or feel bad about themselves. It is an everyday common practice in the hospital.

Standard precautions should be observed for every patient interaction necessitating touch, which includes wearing gloves.

There was no touching. It was some sort of verbal interaction.

These were not standard precautions.

The student was specifically instructed to utilize a different practice for a pt because the patient was HIV positive.

Instructing a student to wear gloves does not make the nurse paranoid or ignorant.

The fact that the mentoring nurse would interview patients presumed to be HIV negative without gloves, then don gloves to interview pts known to be HIV positive is actually a pretty good definition of ignorant.

I am guessing you didn't read the OP.

[guest769224]

I am guessing you didn't read the OP.

I read the original post just fine thank you.

[guest769224]

Well, then, you misunderstand standard precautions.

Thank you for attempting to correct me but no I did not misunderstand.

There is nothing to lose by wearing gloves. I use them for almost all patient interactions, even without contact of bodily fluid and that is perfectly fine and an added safety barrier.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Thank you for attempting to correct me but no I did not misunderstand.

There is nothing to lose by wearing gloves. I use them for almost all patient interactions, even without contact of bodily fluid and that is perfectly fine and an added safety barrier.

With your original statement, you did indeed misunderstand standard precautions. Because you choose to wear gloves all the time doesn't mean you follow SUPER DUPER standard precautions; it simply means you wear them when it's not required.

[guest769224]

With your original statement, you did indeed misunderstand standard precautions. Because you choose to wear gloves all the time doesn't mean you follow SUPER DUPER standard precautions; it simply means you wear them when it's not required.

Show me where you claim I misunderstood standard precautions.