2 glove technique? HUHH?

[RN1822]

OK, so today one of the Respiratory therapist had some time and was nice enough to let me shadow him as he was caring for a pt that frequently decannulates. ( I work in LTACH). He put on two pair of clean gloves and then a sterile pair on top of that to make him "extra sterile"? I asked him about that technique and he said that was the 2 glove technique. I am new here and don't want to appear insane but, really......I have never heard of this. Is this specific to Respiratory Therapy or is this guy pulling my chain. We were replacing a trach strap.

I thanked him for his time and went to finish up my pateints. Has anyone else heard of this?

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Anytime i do a sterile technique, mostly foley, straight cths & trach stuff i put a pair of vinyl gloves on, then the steriles. When i'm done with whatever was sterile, i can pull off the gunked up sterile gloves and i'm still clean gloved.

[chorkle]

As emtb2rn will know, this technique is also used by paramedics when gloving up for what may become a prolonged messy situation. As one pair is soiled, it is removed and a new pair is already in place. This can be multiplied by as many times as you have sizes available, so long as you can still flex your fingers.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

We're required to double glove to handle chemo.

[Ninja Nurse, ASN]

This was a "trick" taught to me by a tech back on a Med/Surg unit where we had many Cdiff accidents. Years later, I still use this technique if I'm foreseeing a messy situation with a patient regarding any fluid

[merlee]

This is usually done to protect the caregiver, not the patient.

[iluvivt, BSN, RN]

Yes I do too when I am placing a PICC with an HIV positive/AIDs pt and Hep A and B.. I use two pair of sterile gloves...my size first then a half size larger so I can still work my fingers well. This can also minimize blood inoculation form a needle stick should it unfortunately occur as well as just a small pore size on the sterile gloves.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

I actually wear more than two pairs of gloves when cleaning a code brown. You can deglove multiple times in the midst of it, making it easier to prevent contaminating the clean stuff. Touching clean linen with poopy gloves is a pet peeve!

Also, I like to put on clean gloves before putting on sterile gloves. Trying to put sterile gloves on sweaty hands is a pain in the a**.

[TakeTwoAspirin, MSN, RN, APRN]

I think the language he was using is what is confusing. There is no such thing as "extra sterile". As a long-time operating room nurse and CST I can tell you that something is either sterile, or it is not. It's just that simple. However, using multiple gloves for the purposes people have described above is a common technique so that you can easily pull off a pair of gloves and have a fresh pair underneath (sterile or clean, depending on what you are doing). In the operating room the scrub person will frequently double glove with two pairs of sterile gloves. In many places this is policy for the OR. This isn't to make them extra sterile though, it is done to reduce the risk from needlesticks and is also useful if the top pair rips, you are still sterile underneath and can apply a second glove on top at a convenient time rather than I need another glove "right now".

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

We had a resident who was putting on multiple pairs of gloves and then just taking off a layer between patients instead of washing her hands. She ended up having a discussion with infection control.....

I've never worn extra gloves for my protection, but that notion makes sense to me.

[One1, BSN, RN]

I double glove when I start IVs or foleys (sterile gloves on top for foleys). With IVs, once the site is secured with Tegaderm, I will pull off the first set of usually somewhat bloody gloves and I will still be gloved (cleanly) to label and package the blood samples. Same with foleys - once the sterile gloves come off I still am gloved to handle and package the urine sample.

[TX911]

As a paramedic I put on 2 to 3 sets at a time when I get out of the truck on car wrecks and other messy situations. You never know how many pts you're going to have plus the ability to take a pair off and ditch them without having to pull another pair onto your inevitably sweaty hands is always a plus. I'm sure if RT was doing something he/she knew would mess up the outer layer, he wouldn't have to stop what he/she was doing to get another pair. I don't think its a matter of being "extra sterile." Because I'll tell ya, as soon as they come out of the package in a regular room, they aren't sterile anymore lol.