Gloves in the hall

[brwneyegal]

hello everyone,

i need some input from all of you. i work in a hospice center at this time in my career, have always worked in a hospital. i am now the infection control resource nurse here. we had an inicident where a ca got a talking to by a nurse for wearing gloves in the hall on both hands while carrying dirty linen:nono: . the ca stated she was allowed to wear gloves as long as carrying dirty linen. i was always told "no gloves in the hall!" this was beat into my head:trout: over and over. i have heard it was ok if while carrying dirty linens to wear one glove and have one clean hand and one dirty hand.i am trying to research this for my administrator. i have emailed our local dhec and the infection control dept at our local big hospital (where i used to work). what is your input. 2 gloves, 1glove or no gloves and why????

thank you

psss i love all the new smileys

[clee1]

If I have to go into the hall with something contaminated, I wear gloves as well. I make it a point not to touch anything with the contaminated item/gloves, and disposed of the gloves properly when the task is complete. As always, I wash my hands well after removing the gloves.

[Roy Fokker, BSN, RN]

Here's my policy:

* Whatever originated in the room, stays in the room.

That means wearing gloves when in the room. If I need to get something, I unglove, wash hands, walk out, get stuff, walk back in, wash hands, reglove.

If I need to take something out - I bag it (laundry, biohazard, specimen), tie the bag and take it out.

My co-workers would throw a fit if they saw me walking outside a patient room with gloves on!

PS: What "new" smileys

[wooh, BSN, RN]

If I have to go into the hall with something contaminated, I wear gloves as well. I make it a point not to touch anything with the contaminated item/gloves, and disposed of the gloves properly when the task is complete. As always, I wash my hands well after removing the gloves.

I agree. Sorry, but I'm not carrying dirty anything without gloves on, I don't care whether I'm in a room or in the hall.

[brwneyegal]

If I have to go into the hall with something contaminated, I wear gloves as well. I make it a point not to touch anything with the contaminated item/gloves, and disposed of the gloves properly when the task is complete. As always, I wash my hands well after removing the gloves.

Here is my problem with gloves in the hall. Everything you touch is then contaminated...door handles etc... So now anyone who touches what you just touched is now contaminated.

By the way I have been gone from here for a while so lots of the smileys are new to me:monkeydance: .

[widi96]

Same here - a lot of our linen can't be held appropriately and contained if you just use one hand - I don't care where I'm at - we are to protect ourselves also. My gloves are ON.

[clee1]

Here is my problem with gloves in the hall. Everything you touch is then contaminated...door handles etc... So now anyone who touches what you just touched is now contaminated.

Exactly, and I account for that. The only time I have to carry something out of a pt room wearing gloves, it is usually to put a lab specimen into a transport tube, or linens/sharps/biohazzard stuff going to dirty utility.

I carry the sample to the tube and ask an uncontaminated person to open it for mr. I carry other biohazzards to the dirty utility room and use my side or rump to push the door open.

[crissrn27, RN]

When I did LTC the CNAs would have to carry dirty linen from point a to point b alot. Drove me crazy that management would allow them to have dirty linen carts to put by the door, but thats another thread. If they have to handle poopy, peey, yucky linen in the hall I would like for them to have both hands covered with gloves. What if something started to fall and you had to catch it? Plus, nurses and CNAs are adept at opening doors with elbows!!! LOL

[TazziRN, RN]

Okay, what about in the ER? Most of our linen is paper, but we still have regular gowns and cover sheets. The only hamper we have is in the dirty room. I carry with gloved hands and open the dirty room door with my elbow (the kind of lever that you push down to open the door). Gloves come off when I dump the linen.

[Psqrd]

Here's my policy:

* Whatever originated in the room, stays in the room.

That means wearing gloves when in the room. If I need to get something, I unglove, wash hands, walk out, get stuff, walk back in, wash hands, reglove.

If I need to take something out - I bag it (laundry, biohazard, specimen), tie the bag and take it out.

My co-workers would throw a fit if they saw me walking outside a patient room with gloves on!

PS: What "new" smileys

I agree!

I'm a second semester student and my first semester instructor banged this into our heads...never in the hallway with gloves...if you need to carry linen or anything else for that matter, you bag it then remove it from the patients room.

Just my 2 cents. P2

[Indy, LPN, LVN]

You know, once or three or so times a shift, if someone weren't completely and utterly overloaded with work, they could pick up some cavicide wipes and go hit the doorknobs, tops of linen carts, etc.

[GoldenFire5]

Thanks for asking this - it's been on my mind as well.

There's a page on handling linens on the Yale New Haven Hospital Infection Control website under Standard Precautions. It covers their procedures on how they handle contaminated linens, but since this site on Infection Control is referred to so often here on allnurses, I thought it was worth a mention.

http://info.med.yale.edu/ynhh/infection/precautions/laundry.html