Sterile Gloving Procedure

[Jill2Shay]

Question about sterile gloves...

Are the folded-over cuffs considered non-sterile even before they've touched skin? So if you have on one glove, is the cuff of the other clove non sterile even before you pick it up?

[drowningdaily]

No. As long as you open package correctly, it is sterile.

[Jill2Shay]

UGH! My friend failed her catheter checkoff today because as she was picking up the second glove, her gloved thumb crossed into the airspace of the cuff as it was still sitting in the packaging. The second glove hadn't come into contact with her skin yet.

The instructor, who isn't one of our normal instructors (I'd never seen her before) told her that the folded cuffs are not considered non sterile from the very beginning.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

UGH! My friend failed her catheter checkoff today because as she was picking up the second glove, her gloved thumb crossed into the airspace of the cuff as it was still sitting in the packaging.

Excuse me? A little nitpicky I do think.

Plus let's say that the cuff was not sterile. In the package it is folded over so it is touching the wrapper. Suppose the package is "jostled" and the part of the package that was touching the cuff now touches the outer palm of the glove. Now the entire glove it not sterile.

[Jill2Shay]

Agreed. I thought it was total crap and doesn't make sense at all. She also told her she broke her sterile field *after* the catheter was inserted... my friend was uncoiling the collection bag from the sterile box, which was sitting on the sterile wrapper, and the bag touched the wrapper. She said the broke the sterile field. Say wut?

Thankfully those that failed were able to do the other option later in the day (sterile dressing change. Don't get me started on that) and she passed that.

[s.marie333, ASN, RN]

We were taught not to touch the folded-over part of the cuff once our other glove was on. It doesn't make sense since it is technically sterile, but my instructor said it was unsterile because that is the part that touches your skin? IDK. But how we did it was by donning the dominant hand first (touching the folded over cuff part with our non-dominant bare fingers), then with our dominant gloved hand, we would take our four fingers (not thumb) and scoop them underneath the cuff (so they are resting on the sterile part (they always want sterile-sterile), and then guide it onto our non dominant hand and slip the cuff over without touching the folded over side (non-sterile side). Once you get both gloves on, you are able to adjust them, but only touching the sterile parts (if the folded over part of the cuff is visible but you can't move it without touching a sterile part, you must leave it be).

It is very difficult to explain. The instructor that graded your friend sounds like they grade the same as they do at my school.

LONG STORY SHORT: Based on my knowledge, yes, the folded over part is considered non-sterile even before it touches the skin.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

This is how I was taught to put them on when I worked in surgery.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

Sterile glove 1 is the glove you are wearing. Sterile glove 2 is sitting on the paper with its cuff folded up. If you grabbed the cuff of glove 2 with glove 1 that would not make it unsterile; however, you now have the issue of putting on glove 2. If you are holding the cuff with your sterile glove and try to put it on, you will brush the sterile part of glove 1 on you forearm as you try and put on glove 2.

[4_Sq]

Thank you Don1984, you nailed it.

2 Cents from 4_Sq

[Jill2Shay]

Watched the video. That's exactly how we learned it and how she did it. She never touched the outside of the cuff of glove #2 with glove #1. Her sterile gloved thumb #1 never touched glove #2, but crossed into the airspace over the cuff before she had even picked it up off the wrapper.

[s.marie333, ASN, RN]

Yes! Don1984 put a video link of exactly what I was trying to say!

[RubberDuckieLove]

That's strange. The entire package is considered sterile. They are not going to just sterilize the outside of the gloves and not do the insides. Is it even possible to to that?