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!

[jimthorp]

I was taught to wear gloves for all care, even changing bed linens.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

So you've been a nurse since you were 19?

You are doubtless in violation of your employer's policies and procedures. If you do ever get stuck, you will find that they try to capitalize on the fact that you were in violation of the well-known policy and standard that every facility from Dehli to Denton follows nowadays, that of requiring gloves for injections. I hope your good luck continues.

I haven't worn them either, and I've been in nursing since I was 17. (Almost twenty years.)

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

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

If it was an injection where the gloves are for my safety, not yours, you'd be waiting a little longer than necessary while I took a deep breath outside. People get in a twist over things that have nothing to do with the quality of care they are receiving. If I have made a decision for myself no one else has the right to criticize or comment.

[Phen]

Universal precautions,- one should always wear gloves when there is the possibility of coming into contact with any bodily fluid. You'll never know...

[leslie :-D]

although i haven't researched it, wouldn't one think there would be a strong correlation between the high rates of nosocomial infections and not wearing gloves?

cross-contamination is probable.

i always wear gloves when doing any sort of pt care.

if i have a tough stick, then i use my ungloved fingers to feel, then glove up.

consistent handwashing and wearing gloves would decrease infection rates tremendously, wouldn't you think?

leslie

[marilynmom, LPN, NP]

I think the poster was saying that basically these days, there is a really strict policy and procedure for needle sticks and there would be "questions" if you did not have gloves on. Hospitals (at least some) are not looking out for you, the nurse, remember that. I was taught to wear gloves for everything! I feel "naked" if I go to give an injection without it. I even wear gloves to change sheets. :uhoh21:

We had an employee who slipped on the floor and fell and hurt her hip really bad. The first thing out of Employee Health's mouth was if she was wearing close or open toed shoes. Now what does having your shoes open or close toed have anything to do with falls? Probably nothing (I would think the floor surface she was walking on had more to do with it). But because she was not wearing close toed shoes per hospital policy (she was wearing the Crocs that have the holes in the top) the hospital wouldn't pay her a dime for her injury.

So ya, I wear gloves for *everything*

[rita359]

Interesting thread. Pre HIV there was very little glove use. Basically the only gloves then available were sterile gloves and everything that did not have to have sterile gloves for was done with bare hands. Don't think we had any more infection then than now but we now have a whole lot of nastier bugs out here now than we had then. Hard to believe changing visibly clean sheets would require gloves. I think sometimes we are going overboard with the use of gloves. For patients in isolation and for patients with visibly draining wounds yes wear gloves for everything. Otherwise, if you reasonably expect to come into contact with infectious fluid I don't believe you will get anything except normal skin flora which we all have.

[VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN]

I require my students to wear gloves for all patient injections (and IV pushes, for that matter). Better safe than sorry...

[S.T.A.C.E.Y, LPN]

For the nurses that do flu clinics, where they may give upwards of 100 IM shots a day.....do you wear gloves? Change them between each patient?

[Larry in Florida]

Glove for all injections, changing linens , any time there is a chance to come in contact with body fluids. This includes oral care.

[newbiern2006]

i use gloves for absolutely everything now - i recently had a bad reaction after metronidazole leaked on my hand while spiking a new bag, even though i washed immediately. we weren't taught to use gloves to do this in nursing school (although as a former cna on an oncology floor i know it's necessary for chemo agents), and i didn't realize an antiinfective could cause such a quick, unpleasant, and long-lasting reaction simply from a few drops on my hand. (i'm sure not everyone would experience the reaction i did, but i have a long history of over-the-top and/or rare reactions to medications.) i get ill just thinking what could have happened had it been infected blood, and i am not taking any chances.

[Larry in Florida]

For the nurses that do flu clinics, where they may give upwards of 100 IM shots a day.....do you wear gloves? Change them between each patient?

Yes,

I would change gloves.