No time for gloves??

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Emergency.

I have a question? I'm entering nursing school in spring '08 so maybe I'm naive about things. A woman that is in LPN school, who has been an EMT for 15 years, told me that I was being naive believing there is always an opportunity to use gloves while treating patients. She told me that stuff like that in hospitals during trauma situations only happened in the movies. Frankly, I didn't believe her so I asked someone else that I know...a woman that has been an RN for 20 years in the ICU field. This woman agreed that gloves and PPEs were not always an option. Any thoughts??

:confused:

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She's right. In the vast, vast majority of cases there is time for gloves. But, there are times when you just have to react and wash your hands thoroughly later.

I've bare-handed a baby, held pressure on bleeding, etc. because that's just what I had to do.

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Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.

Agreed. I'm a dialysis nurse and part of what I do is apply pressure to the patient's needle insertion sites after treatment. If after I've put dressing over the wounds and they start bleeding again, I don't waste time trying to put gloves on. I grab it and apply pressure. If there is someone nearby I'll ask them to put gloves on and take over for a second so I can wash my hands and put gloves on too, then go back to holding it. But if a patient has blood pouring out of their arm like Niagra falls, forget the gloves. I can always wash my hands later. I cannot, however, put the patien'ts blood back.

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99% of the time you will wear gloves but in an extreme situation I have seen staff step in without them.

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emergency situation require emergency solutions

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Specializes in Day Surgery, Agency, Cath Lab, LTC/Psych.

I mostly agree. But, it needs to be a real gusher for me to not put gloves on. Often a patient's peripheral IV site will bleed after I dc an IV. Patients will frantically hold out their arm to me dripping blood on the floor. In these situations I always, always put gloves on first. A couple of drops of blood on the floor is not going to hurt anything. Sometimes I will tell a patient to hold pressure while I apply gloves. Gloving up takes less than 5 seconds.

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So true! A patient's idea of an emergency and mine definitely differ. lol

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Specializes in Ortho, Case Management, blabla.
gloves and PPEs were not always an option. Any thoughts??

They are fools. I hate to say it, but if I had the choice between getting HIV and not getting HIV, just to save someone's life, I'd probably rather lose my license than forgo the PPE. Anyone who says PPE is not an option is a fool.

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If your skin is intact how are you going to get HIV?

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Specializes in ED, ICU, PSYCH, PP, CEN.

In my 5 years of nursing I don't think I have ever had a situation where there was not time to put on gloves. Keep some in your pocket. If something is bleeding and you don't have time to put a glove on at least you can cover the area with a glove and then get 4x4s etc.

I work in the ER and have always been able to glove up. Even when I had a femoral artery spurting across the room. What a vision that was.

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Specializes in dialysis (mostly) some L&D, Rehab/LTC.

No way...I always say...no glovin...no lovin...

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Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.

I've been in situations that I couldn't get to the gloves soon enough, so now, I always carry a pair of gloves in my pocket in case of an emergency.

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