Gloves required for ALL oral meds.

[Leonardos]

So I work in a Mental Hospital in Wisconsin, and there's a new policy that gloves are required for all oral meds. So you have to use sanitizer, put on gloves, give pills, take off gloves, use sanitizer, put on gloves, etc. Putting on new gloves for every single patient (20+) in a row, regardless of what medications they take, hazardous or not. And not just normal gloves, more expensive Nitrile gloves. And then I was told for crushed meds you will have to wear a mask, and some meds you will have to gown up completely.

Is anyone else seeing this at their workplace?

[heron, ASN, RN]

Not believing it ... have you seen the actual standard in writing?

[Emergent, RN]

Ridiculous. It sounds like someone with OCD is in charge of your infection control department.

I'd like to see healthcare start to reduce our outrageous impact on our environment. The amount of waste of the Mother Earth's resources and trash produced is a sin, in my opinion.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

Ridiculous. It sounds like someone with OCD is in charge of your infection control department.

I'd like to see healthcare start to reduce our outrageous impact on our environnfment. The amount of waste of the Mother Earth's resources and trash produced is a sin, in my opinion.

don't think this is Inf control, but the employer trying to not get sued for exposure.

[JKL33]

This seems as likely to have something to do with potential hazardous exposure as infection control. It sounds off the rails though. You should find out which of the two is the likely source of concern so that you can research related facts.

ETA: yep - morte beat me to it.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Doubtful that an actual nurse would refer to workplace as 'Mental Hospital'.

[Leonardos]

You're doubting my entire education and career because I referred to my job by the name everyone (staff, patients, the news) around here uses? Okay I'll give the correct name; State Forensic Psychiatric Hospital.

Grow up.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

You're doubting my entire education and career because I referred to my job by the name everyone (staff, patients, the news) around here uses? Okay I'll give the correct name; State Forensic Psychiatric Hospital.

Grow up.

I'm VERY grown up and remain skeptical.

[junkdriver]

not dealing with all that yet gracias a Dios. is this in response to an incident or something?

[Julius Seizure]

Doubtful that an actual nurse would refer to workplace as 'Mental Hospital'.

I'm torn between being doubtful and being disappointed.

[Double Dunker]

I guess I'm not seeing what the big deal is. You have to use hand sanitizer between patients anyway. It's just gloves. I know a lot of nurses that use gloves when giving all meds, regardless of isolation status. Many patients prefer it. I put on gloves every time, and yes I work in the hospital.

[marienm, RN, CCRN]

NIOSH is issuing new guidelines regarding handling a disposal of hazardous drugs, so lots of institutions are changing their policies. The gown sounds like overkill for non-hazardous drugs, but I've always gloved for all drugs and my hospital switched to nitrile gloves a year or two ago because they are chemo-safe (even though most floors don't even give chemo, the patient could then be transferred to any floor).

I couldn't even tell you how many pairs of gloves I go through in a shift. On the other hand, I don't particularly want any transdermal exposure or to give the patient a sticky pill if my hand is still a little damp.