Snotty Miss Perfect Nurse that's the daughter of a patient chastised us for not wearing gloves during a med pass. "Doesn't anyone around here where gloves anymore?".
Apparently she wears gloves at all times when in a patient's room. I wash in, give my pill, and wash out. I don't wear gloves to pass a medication.
I wanted to snap "and please show me the evidenced based practice that we must do this", but of course I didn't.
I'm also willing to learn to do things differently, I've adapted well to change over the years. Do we wear gloves ever single time we enter a patient's room, even if it's non-contact with the patient other than to pass a pain pill?
If I’m just handing them the cup with the pill, they take, they swallow, and done. I just wash hands before and after.
if I have to put the pill in my hand, or their mouth, I put the gloves on.
Depends on circumstance. Wash before and after each contact. Gloves I use discretion. For example-new admit, never seen their skin-gloves. Had patient all day, no wounds, need to check lung sounds-no open wounds-no gloves. Just hand washing. 20 years nursing. Only thing I’ve caught from patients was not preventable (cold, late flu diagnosis, and, once (my fault-didn’t check med list since chart with doc-I’m old) pink eye.
I was taught in nursing school to wear gloves when touching something wet or infected, wear gloves when passing meds and don't wear gloves when touching dry, non infected skin.
When I worked my first job and wore gloves for med pass I got comments like "Isn't that cute, look at you with your gloves on" from senior nurses.
If I can't avoid touching the med with my bare hands, I like to wear gloves.
We were taught to not wear gloves when doing colostomy care, as it would make the pt feel bad. No lie. It was a long time ago. I always wore them anyway. I really didn't want someone else's poop on me.
So gloves for med pass. Yes, I generally do.
Never thought of there being pathogens on the glove box, but it makes sense. Little booogers are everywhere. Damn!
Government is passing, in my opinion mainly symbolic, laws banning plastic grocery bags. Meanwhile, it takes the jaws of life to extract many products from their plastic packaging. And the medical community continues its massive waste and negative impact on the environment. The overuse of gloves is a part of this!
LOLOLOL Jaws of life Sooo true!
You could bleed to death from a couple of the cuts I have gotten from opening those blasted packages!
Um, no. Not to mention you can't wear them in the halls.
Why would you need to wear gloves when you aren't touching the meds? Shes probably a housekeeper.
Not to knock housekeepers, because they are the beez knees, but thats my theory.
Could be. But I have had family members pose as a nurse. Once I was taking out an IV and the patient had a blister from the tape that ripped off. It was on the part that we couldn't see and she didn't know of an possible allergy. I was very apologetic but I couldn't help it, and dressed it up. Anyway her boyfriend said "I'm a nurse and everyone knows you remove IV's with water". Nope, you're not a nurse.
I would just say that its not policy in your institution, and leave it at that. Sounds like an attempt to get some power, so including her in planning the day might make her happier.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
13 hours ago, Wuzzie said:
Pretty sure that my properly sanitized hands are cleaner than the gloves on the wall. Makes me shudder to even think about it.
Exactly. If the gloves are not sterile, then what are they? Do we have any idea how clean they are or aren't? They protect the wearer from icky messes by covering our own skin. They protect the patient from nothing.
Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.
15 hours ago, Wuzzie said:
Pretty sure that my properly sanitized hands are cleaner than the gloves on the wall. Makes me shudder to even think about it.
I worked in a hospital once where the protocol on their Bone Marrow Transplant unit was to put on gloves from the wall and THEN use the hand sanitizer, on the gloves. True story.
Exactly. If the gloves are not sterile, then what are they? Do we have any idea how clean they are or aren't? They protect the wearer from icky messes by covering our own skin. They protect the patient from nothing.
I think they are boxes essentially full of bacteria with gloves tucked into the open spots.
Could be. But I have had family members pose as a nurse. Once I was taking out an IV and the patient had a blister from the tape that ripped off. It was on the part that we couldn't see and she didn't know of an possible allergy. I was very apologetic but I couldn't help it, and dressed it up. Anyway her boyfriend said "I'm a nurse and everyone knows you remove IV's with water". Nope, you're not a nurse.
NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN
1,599 Posts
If I’m just handing them the cup with the pill, they take, they swallow, and done. I just wash hands before and after.
if I have to put the pill in my hand, or their mouth, I put the gloves on.
Depends on circumstance. Wash before and after each contact. Gloves I use discretion. For example-new admit, never seen their skin-gloves. Had patient all day, no wounds, need to check lung sounds-no open wounds-no gloves. Just hand washing. 20 years nursing. Only thing I’ve caught from patients was not preventable (cold, late flu diagnosis, and, once (my fault-didn’t check med list since chart with doc-I’m old) pink eye.