Question on skin to skin touching

JDZ344 · Jul 2, 2012

If your hands are free of cuts or wounds, and the patient isn't bleeding excessively or having open sores or anything else yucky, then as long as you wash your hands, you have nothing to worry about.

merlee · Jul 2, 2012

The first 15 years of my career were spent virtually gloveless, except for extremely messy situations. Somehow, I survived. The second 15 years brought all those changes, and most made sense.

As a too frequent patient these past 2 years I have noticed this trend for some providers to wear gloves all the time. I find this disturbing. Too unclean to take a pulse or BP??? Should I be afraid of YOU?

And there is an incredible loss of intimacy when there is no skin to skin contact. Would you wrap yourself in plastic to hold your children or grandchildren? Where does this end?

So I vote 'no gloves' for simple, uncomplicated contact.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Jul 2, 2012

To hell with intimacy.

This is your life we are talking about. You can NEVER know if you have micro abrasions.

No glove.. no love.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jul 2, 2012

You do not need gloves to take a blood pressure unless they are covered in blood of feces. You can't catch bloodborne pathogens from casual contact.

I mean this in the best way...........You need to educate yourself about the process of disease and the transfer of organisms to human hosts, as well as, the imporatnce of hand washing to prevent the spread of disease. You are more likely to catch disease from the grocery/shoppoing cart than the arm of a patient that needs their B/P taken.

CDC - Bloodborne Infectious Diseases - General Resources on Bloodborne Pathogens - NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic

CDC blood bourne pathogens Let me google that for you

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Jul 2, 2012

The first 15 years of my career were spent virtually gloveless, except for extremely messy situations. Somehow, I survived. The second 15 years brought all those changes, and most made sense.
As a too frequent patient these past 2 years I have noticed this trend for some providers to wear gloves all the time. I find this disturbing. Too unclean to take a pulse or BP??? Should I be afraid of YOU?
And there is an incredible loss of intimacy when there is no skin to skin contact. Would you wrap yourself in plastic to hold your children or grandchildren? Where does this end?
So I vote 'no gloves' for simple, uncomplicated contact.

In any given situation, emergent or not.. I feel donning gloves protects the care provider.

Certainly, standard precautions always apply. However,in an instant,even during something as simple as obtaining vital signs, exposure can occur. Wearing gloves at all times could minimize my exposure.

Comparing holding your grandchildren to... providing care to a complete stranger in a hospital setting , does not compute.

idialyze, BSN, RN · Jul 2, 2012

When I graduated from nursing school in 1982, we had been told by our professors that if we wore gloves, it would make the patient feel that they were dirty!! My how times have changed!!

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Jul 2, 2012

In any given situation, emergent or not.. I feel donning gloves protects the care provider.
Certainly, standard precautions always apply. However,in an instant,even during something as simple as obtaining vital signs, exposure can occur. Wearing gloves at all times could minimize my exposure.
Comparing holding your grandchildren to... providing care to a complete stranger in a hospital setting , does not compute.

Why not? How can you be 100% certain of the illnesses that the grandchild has been exposed to? Trust me, I work in pediatrics and children come in all the time with RSV, rotavirus, and MRSA. Aren't you just as likely, if not more likely, to come into contact with urine, feces, or gastric secretions holding an infant as you are taking vital signs?

Sure, wearing gloves could minimize your potential exposure while taking vital signs, but it could also minimize your potential exposure while holding a baby. If it makes you feel better, it's your right to do so. However, from an infection control standpoint, it's truly unlikely to make more difference than standard precautions.

Cathylady · Jul 2, 2012

I can remember when dentists and hygienist did not wear gloves or masks. Now it's standard procedure. If the patient feels put out by you wearing gloves..that's too bad, they'll get over it. My daughter's a nurse and I'm glad she wears gloves before she touches any patient.

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Jul 2, 2012

I work with both newborns and adults. If I am changing a diaper, changing pads on a fresh post-op section, emptying a foley/hat, or handling vomit, I wear gloves. Otherwise, I don't. (ETA - I also wear gloves if checking lady partsl bleeding on anyone, c/section or lady partsl.)

Every nursery nurse I know has gotten peed on by a newborn. Weigh enough newborns who have to be weighed naked and you will be too!

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Jul 2, 2012

duplicate

brownbook · Jul 2, 2012

You want know a quick way to lose 2 - 5 pounds. Kill all the bacteria/germs that are living in and on your body right now as you read this.

I am 100% sure the keyboard I am putting my fingers on to type this, my phone, the phone at work, the door handle, the light switch, your stethoscope, the BP cuff, the buttons on the cardiac monitor, etc., have more bacteria than most peoples upper arms!!

Get over it! We would be dead, or probably life would have never gotten started on planet earth, if it were not for bacteria.