Gloves and injections

[cmonkey]

The nurse at a local Walgreens is giving flu shots with naked hands. Some of my friends are FREAKED OUT, some don't figure it's a big deal. What IS the deal? Bad medicine or no biggie?

[CrunchyMama, ASN, RN]

Bad bad bad!! I'm a student nurse and worked at a flu clinic last week and of course we're taught to wear gloves. I gave this girl a flu shot and she was a bleeder! This one older lady that my classmate did was also a bleeder. It's reasons like this is why we should wear gloves.....ya just never know. What's funny is that in the hospital I'm doing my clinicals at, they have these stupid "get your flu shot" signs all over the place and it shows a pic of this nurse giving this person a shot WITHOUT gloves on, lol.... :/ Ohhhh....then I was watching a trauma show, not a fake show like ER, it was Code Blue I think and the nurse was giving an IV with no gloves!!!! I was like screaming at her through the TV, lol! Ewww!

[rn2bnwi, BSN, RN]

public health nurses are not required to wear gloves when giving injections.... "freaking out' seems a little extreme. the nurse practioner's at walgreen's take care are a different enity than the pharmacist.

[MoLee228]

I always wear gloves, I never use sanitizers, I wash my hands after all patient contact with soap.

Tait

The CDC states that alcohol-based hand sanitizers have been shown to reduce bacteria on hands more effectively than soap and water. Based on their recommendations, I was taught to use soap and water if my hands are visibly soiled or I had a patient with C. Diff, but if not than it is better to use alcohol hand sanitizer.

I'm all about evidence-based practice, and if the evidence shows alcohol is better in most situations, we should all use it.

[rn2bnwi, BSN, RN]

I always wear gloves, I never use sanitizers, I wash my hands after all patient contact with soap.

Tait

evidenced based practice shows that hand sanitizer does a better job of killing germs than hand and soap washing.

[Lacie, BSN, RN]

The CDC also states you a not required to utilize gloves for flu immunizations although it usually is a requirement for most facilities due to universal precautions. I also am from back in the day where we were "discouraged" from wearing gloves but things change as blood borne diseases have escalated. I wear gloves for immunizations but still prefer good old "soap and water" to any hand sanitizer as it does not reach under your nails or into your cuticle base as good old soap and water does. Also there is evidence based that overuse of hand sanitizers is also contributing to the resistance of many viral/bacteria mutations similar to the overuse of abx.

[Moogie]

I always wear gloves, I never use sanitizers, I wash my hands after all patient contact with soap.

I agree with those who say that research shows the efficacy of hand sanitizers. However, the biggest barrier to using them is that they can dry out one's hands, disrupting the skin integrity and creating an entry point for bacteria to enter the damaged skin. If someone prefers to use soap and water and is following correct technique, I don't see a reason to change that practice. The workers about whom I am concerned, though, often don't wash their hands, don't use sanitizer and may be inconsistent in the use of gloves.

[rn2bnwi, BSN, RN]

The CDC also states you a not required to utilize gloves for flu immunizations although it usually is a requirement for most facilities due to universal precautions. I also am from back in the day where we were "discouraged" from wearing gloves but things change as blood borne diseases have escalated. I wear gloves for immunizations but still prefer good old "soap and water" to any hand sanitizer as it does not reach under your nails or into your cuticle base as good old soap and water does. Also there is evidence based that overuse of hand sanitizers is also contributing to the resistance of many viral/bacteria mutations similar to the overuse of abx.

if your using antibacterial soap that also contributes to drug resistance. ..... if you are using proper procedure of applying santizer it should get your nail beds and its better for your hands. Soap and water drys your hands out and makes them more vulnerable to infection.

[Guest219794]

The site is cleaned with alcohol, then not touched.

The needle is sterile.

How do gloves help?

[wooh, BSN, RN]

The public thinks it's all about them. We wear gloves to protect them, we have a witness in the room for lady partsl exams to protect them. WRONG! It's to protect us. We just let them think we're doing it to protect them to give them warm fuzzies instead of arguing with us and getting offended.

The only time gloves protect the patient are if they're sterile gloves.

[robinbird]

Gloves do indeed protect the injector. Another reason is that they act as a "squeegie" if you do receive a needle stick injury. As the needle penetrates the glove, the glove material slides across the needle and the theory is that some of cells from the patient are pulled off by the glove, before it enters your skin. It doesn't protect you 100% but it gives you more of a chance.

I had a needle stick injury a while back and was wearing gloves. When I received my testing and counseling they told me about wearing gloves and the squeegie effect.

[EarthChild1130]

I give a LOT of injections and I wear gloves for EVERY SINGLE one...some of my patients are bleeders, and quite a few of them have HIV and Hep C, among other things...I have also heard of 'the squeegie effect'. Also, I was taught under universal precautions to wear gloves if there was potential for coming into contact with blood, and giving an injection certainly qualifies for that, as some people do bleed a little when they get a shot.

I also wash with soap and water more than use hand sanitizer because the sanitizer dries my hands out, which makes them prone to cracking and therefore more prone to infection, no matter how much lotion/Vaseline/Bag Balm/A&D ointment I put on them...so I try to use it sparingly.

[justiceforjoy]

Gloves. Universal precautions just like the above poster said.

I use hand sanitizer before I come into a room and after I leave the room - then try to find the nearest sink to wash my hands in. MRSA hates sanitizers and C.Diff hates soap and water, (for examples) so I try to do both whenever possible. Wash, dry, sanitize. Or Sanitize, dry, wash, dry