Gloves Necessary For SQ Injections?

[VivaLasViejas]

This is going to sound like the dumbest question in the universe coming from an experienced nurse, but my ALF just had its annual corporate (not State) QA survey, and we got written up for not using gloves when giving insulin injections:uhoh3:

Now, I've been giving insulin for over a decade, but I was never taught to wear gloves for this---IMs, yes, and fingersticks, definitely, but SQ injections?? Naturally, I've never taught my staff to wear gloves for this purpose either..........so what say you all? Am I nuts for giving insulin without gloves, or is corporate all wet on this one? And how do I form a plan of correction when I think they're full of it? Inquiring minds want to know!

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

One of them always wipes the little drop of blood that comes up with her hand. Grosses me out now that I think of it because I have to wonder if she wipes somebody elses blood off and then wipes mine without washing her hands.

It's that reason why if the person giving me a shot isn't wearing gloves, i'll request it.

[Nemhain]

Yep, I wear gloves. Err... actually make that glove... I only wear 1 glove and it goes on my nondominate hand. I'm only refering to injections and not things like enemas.

[krisssy]

I recently spent 5 days as a patient in a big city hospital-very highly rated. I was getting IM Thiamine injections. Boy do they hurt. All the nurses wore gloves. Onw experienced nurse began to give it to me without gloves. I asked her to put them on. During the injection, she pulled the needle out and reinserted the same needle. I questioned this, and she said she didn't do that. I remember an instructor sending me back five times for a new needle, because I couldn't get it in the first time. the lady was very old , and her arms were very thin. Should I have questioned both insidences? After I did ask her, she brought my pain meds an hour late each time. I questioned the doctor, and he said they have withn an hour to give meds. He must have told her, because all she said to me for the next five days was "What?" everytime i rang my bell. Was I wromg to question her actions? I wear gloves for everything. I was taught that in my refresher class. One student refused to give a wound treatment with gloves. I ignored her and wore my gloves. The man ended up having MRSA. There is a reason for wearing gloves called infectious disease, and I don'yt like to have to tell a fellow nurse to wear them. I had another nurse in a doctor's office try to take my blood without gloves. She did not like me telling her that she had to wear them. With HIV, Hepatitis, MRSA, etc., why do the nurses who don't want to wear them feel that they are immune to catching or giving a disease? Krisssy

[Otessa, BSN, RN]

gloving policies

cdc has recommended that hcws wear gloves to 1) reduce the risk of personnel acquiring infections from patients, 2) prevent health-care worker flora from being transmitted to patients, and 3) reduce transient contamination of the hands of personnel by flora that can be transmitted from one patient to another (354). before the emergence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (aids) epidemic, gloves were worn primarily by personnel caring for patients colonized or infected with certain pathogens or by personnel exposed to patients with a high risk of hepatitis b. since 1987, a dramatic increase in glove use has occurred in an effort to prevent transmission of hiv and other bloodborne pathogens from patients to hcws (355). the occupational safety and health administration (osha) mandates that gloves be worn during all patient-care activities that may involve exposure to blood or body fluids that may be contaminated with blood (356).

(this is from 2002)

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5116a1.htm

[onconurseRT]

I started allergy shots a few weeks ago and none of the 3 women who've given me my shots have ever worn gloves. One of them always wipes the little drop of blood that comes up with her hand. Grosses me out now that I think of it because I have to wonder if she wipes somebody elses blood off and then wipes mine without washing her hands.

:uhoh21: :uhoh21: :uhoh21: Yeah.. that is weird and a little scary!:uhoh21:

[chenoaspirit, ASN, RN]

I dont wear gloves to give shots. I dont even wear them to start IV's, I used to, but I can NOT feel a vein through a glove and the tape sticks to my gloves. I have pulled IVs out after starting them because of the stupid tape sticking to my gloves. I know its bad practice, but I dont wear them. For training someone, I wear them.

[jojotoo, RN]

:uhoh21: :uhoh21: :uhoh21: Yeah.. that is weird and a little scary!:uhoh21:

Just checkng - could she possibly have an alcohol wipe in her hand that she's using to wipe the blood?

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

I am funny about germs (as are most of the nurses I know) and I wear gloves for most everything. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Gloves don't protect you from sticking yourself per se, but they greatly reduce the chance that something will be transmitted should you do it. The only time I've had a dirty stick (knock on wood) was after giving an IM and boy was I glad I had on gloves.

I currently work postpartum...so yeah, I wear gloves for a lot.

[banditrn]

If I see someone coming towards me to draw blood or give an injection, etc., and they aren't wearing gloves, I stop them.

Besides wearing gloves for any injection, needlestick, IV, etc., our school also made us wear gloves for eye gtts. so I always did this as a matter of course.

Now I'm in LTC and no one does - has anyone ever be taught to do this?

[Purkje]

I've just read this tread, and I find it very intresting. I am an European first year bachelor student, and we were just taught injections (SQ, IM and ID) and all without gloves.

Do you have any articles on the net about wearing gloves for injections. I would so like to bring this up in school, and it would be a great subject for my project I have to do about clinicals

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Well, it's been several months since I brought this up, and now it's so ingrained that I don't even think about it anymore---I put on gloves even to do PPDs! My staff has taken a little longer to do so, but they too have gotten into the habit..........what the heck, it certainly isn't going to hurt anything!

[RNdudeNNJ]

I was taught in nursing school to always wear gloves for any type of injection. I always were gloves while giving SubQ, IM or any possible blood producing intervention. Just a matter of protecting oneself.