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.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
Here is extensive information, including the list of drugs for which occupational exposure is considered a hazard, and then if you look at table 5, it lists the type of PPE and special handling issues each type of medication requires.
Your hands are as clean if not cleaner than a pair of gloves if you wash them properly.
I totally agree. Unfortunately, one pt puts "the nurse gave me my pills when she/he didn't have gloves on!" on their Press Ganey survey, and another senseless policy is born. I have seen that exact situation happen...
Specializes in UR/PA, Hematology/Oncology, Med Surg, Psych.
I work in a psychiatric facility in Florida. Unfortunately, these are national regulations that start today that is ordered by NIOSH which is a department within the CDC. It will mean a lot more washing of hands, and time to pass meds. We had an in-service the week before last on these changes. The more involved change is for crushing or cutting medications, or reconstituting Geodon with using double gloves and gowns.
I've given Geodon a million times, but only in the pill form. Thank goodness my psych unit is for physically healthy youngsters so no medication crushing needed. I do have to cut meds on occasion so I guess I better check the new guidelines out on that though for any new information
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.
Well in hindsight I can see that it sounded insensitive, but like I said that's just what people call it around here. My post wasn't about where I work, it was a question about PPE policy. With all the experience you have I would think you'd have some worthwhile feedback on my question and if you do I'd like to hear it. Or are you just on this site to insult/criticize other nurses?
Insensitive to say "mental hospital"? Not at all, IMO.
In my last facility my clinical manager told my CNAs they were only allowed to use two pairs of gloves in a shift. I told them to use as many pairs of gloves as they needed to deliver safe patient care
Maybe someday that CM will be hospitalized and be the last one cared for, when the gloves are good and soiled. LOL
Here is extensive information, including the list of drugs for which occupational exposure is considered a hazard, and then if you look at table 5, it lists the type of PPE and special handling issues each type of medication requires.
It's not about infection control, it's about reducing exposure to (mainly) oncology drugs. I think everybody already gloved for them anyway. There are also some drugs that can affect a pregnant worker. At any rate, why would a facility mandate gloving for every med? What is wrong with posting the list of drugs that need extra precautions so that a nurse can check and see if a particular med is on the list? I suppose the facility could say that if they mandate gloving for everything then no meds will slip through, but it's also very wasteful.
@osceteacher, people pick up a glove from the floor and stuff it back in the box? That is horrible. I hope you say something to someone doing that.
Now that I think about it, I think that I subconsciously try to right their wrong. If the top glove or two in the box seems to be smushed in there like maybe it had already left the box once before, I am prone to throwing those away and using a less suspicious glove that was underneath them.
klone, MSN, RN
14,857 Posts
Here is extensive information, including the list of drugs for which occupational exposure is considered a hazard, and then if you look at table 5, it lists the type of PPE and special handling issues each type of medication requires.
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2016-161/pdfs/2016-161.pdf