gloves to spike a bag

[vickynurse]

Hello,

I've come to the experts to clarify something I heard the other day. I was told that starting now, a nurse must wear exam gloves to spike any kind of bag: IV, IVPB, CBI, etc. This applies to infusions per any device, peripheral or central. What do you think? I can't find anything in the literature about this, so am in a quandry.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

[medsurgnurse, RN]

yes. yes. yes.

[neneRN, BSN, RN]

Why is this? Regular exam gloves really aren't any cleaner than clean hands. I only wear gloves when spiking blood products or if I already have them on (i.e., just started the IV or whatever) If you're careful not to contaminate the opening of the IV bag and the uncapped spiking part of the tubing, then I don't understand how gloves matter?

[lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN]

Why is this? Regular exam gloves really aren't any cleaner than clean hands. I only wear gloves when spiking blood products or if I already have them on (i.e., just started the IV or whatever) If you're careful not to contaminate the opening of the IV bag and the uncapped spiking part of the tubing, then I don't understand how gloves matter?

:yeahthat:

[fusster]

I've never heard of wearing gloves while spiking bags/hanging IV's. So long as you don't touch the IV spike or the port into the IV fluid bag, it shouldn't matter whether you wear gloves or not.

[vickynurse]

Well, see that's what I thought. Exam gloves are intended to protect the nurse, not the pt. They certainly are no cleaner than clean hands. Now I can see wearing gloves when hanging a PB with an antibiotic to which I am allergic. The point about wearing gloves when hanging blood makes sense to me too. Otherwise, it seems to be a waste to me.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Just who told you that starting now you need to wear gloves to spike IV bag???

co-worker, manager, bb post, friend....

If someone in your institution, ask to see policy. Sometimes these institutional policies are started as response to clinical incident and not based on evidenced based practice.

I'd look at INS policy manual for info.

[GardenDove]

I've never heard of it and it sounds wasteful and inconvenient. I would do it if the pt was in contact isolation.

[jg25spn]

I've just come through that part of nursing school, and it was never said to wear gloves during bag spiking.

[PMFB-RN, RN]

Hello,

I've come to the experts to clarify something I heard the other day. I was told that starting now, a nurse must wear exam gloves to spike any kind of bag: IV, IVPB, CBI, etc. This applies to infusions per any device, peripheral or central. What do you think? I can't find anything in the literature about this, so am in a quandry.Thanks in advance for your replies.

*** I am no expert but if anyone told me that I would insist on seeing the evidence to support it. I am an ICU nurse and I spike dozens of bags a day. Because I am the only nurse in my unit that wears 2X size gloves I carry them around in my pocket. They certainly are not cleaner than my clean hands.

As has already been mentioned exam gloves are to protect the nurse, not the patient (regular hand washing protects the patient). What is the risk to the nurse from spiking an IV bag that an exam glove would protect you from?

[colorado ER RN]

I have never heard of that or seen that, maybe with a blood product just in case but not IV fluids.

[CRNI-ICU20]

Who is setting this standad?

If someone is worried about a possible contamination to the IV line, solution, or port, a pair of UNSTERILE GLOVES is no different that a pair of clean hands....after all, you just reached into the glove box with your bare hands, did you not, to put thos gloves on??? so this makes no sense....

It sounds like over kill....and truthfully, when spiking a bag, a pair of baggy loose gloves is a strong recipe for missing the spike....and contaminating the whole shebang...I only wear gloves when spiking blood products....

Let us all know who told you to do this, and why....

thanks!