Gloves for handling misoprostol?

Specialties Ob/Gyn Nursing Q/A

I work in abortion care where we are routinely handling 400-800 mcg of misoprostol, way more than the 25 mcg that is routine in labor & delivery, but I'm curious what L&D nurses have heard as well. I heard a rumor that we might be encouraged/mandated to wear gloves when handling miso because of potential effects on fertility, for those of us who have uteruses and may want to be pregnant someday. Now obviously I try not to touch any pills I'm dispensing with my bare hands anyway, but I heard that it might good to wear gloves just for handling the packaging and getting close to the med at all. Has anyone heard of this? Thoughts?

Similar topic came up in the general nursing forum, so I did a little digging. I found this document, that lists the medications that are considered potentially hazardous, and the recommendation for handling/administration. Cytotec IS mentioned. The recommendation for Cytotec, and other non-antineoplastic drugs that are in pill form, is that it does NOT require any special PPE, unless you are cutting or crushing (which you would not be doing with that dosage).

Ironically, administration of DMPA/Depo-Provera DOES recommend double-chemo gloves and a protective gown. How goofy is THAT?

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2016-161/pdfs/2016-161.pdf

Whaaaaat. That's crazy about DMPA. I have certainly never worn PPE besides gloves to give that shot.

Thanks for digging! Good to know and I'll be sure to bring this up if they try to make us start wearing gloves...

Someone told me that when i was pregnant. That same person told me not to touch oxytocin for the same reason. I don't know if it was an anecdotal precaution or if there is actually some evidence supporting that, but at the time I didn't care because my coworkers were all volunteering to place my cytotecs so I wasn't going to complain. Now that I'm no longer pregnant I'm curious if there was some truth to that.

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