I was shadowing a nurse yesterday at a facility who happened to be a veteran nurse ( 60 years or older). Well, a pt. fell and was bleeding from her had. I witnessed the fall, so I called for help and made sure the pt. stayed put until helped arrived. The nurse I was shadowing came and started to apply pressure to the pts. head without gloves, the pts. blood was all over the nurses' hand. I felt bad that I didn't do that... but ultimately my health comes first and I'm not touching blood without gloves.
As we were doing wound care she still didn't wear gloves. She said back in her day she has touched so many things with her bear hands that sometimes she doesn't wear them.
I understand that is how she is used to practicing.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Rationalize all you want. Stay out of my room. I do not understand what is SO HARD about putting gloves on and leaving them intact. Are you so determined to rip the finger off that you are willing to have a write up or at the very least a visit to your directors office? If you are that passionate about sticking without a fully gloved hand there are people just as passionate against you pulling the finger off. Everyone keeps saying the gloves are clean not sterile well so are the gowns, gloves, masks we use when a patient is on reverse isolation due to weakened immune system, if it can help protect them then a clean glove can also HELP protect the patient. This topic is just like debates between political parties no one agrees and nothing ever changes.[/quote']
I respect what you are saying....you seem so angry.....and that makes me sad. I agree there is a real disconnect with gloves according to when you went to school. Removing my finger from a glove that I am palpating with won't get me written up nor will it get me a visit to my doctor. I am exposed to nothing and I am not exposing my patient to anything. Once the patient is stuck I am the person exposed as it is the patients blood that poses the risk at that moment. Unless the nurse has an active bleeding wound while tending to the IV and the health care worker drips into the IV puncture site.
It may, however, make a difficult argument if I contract HIV or other blood borne illness from the patient and Workman's comp. Gloves are "recommended" not required and I am not adverse to wearing them. I do, however, have concerns about boxed gloves when I watch staff both licensed and non licensed reach around while cleaning up a mess to grab more gloves without washing and at time without removing the soiled gloves...I personally remove them and throw them away when I witness this behavior, and promptly council the offending team member.
A weakened immune system??? We, healthcare workers, in that case we are trying to protect that poor person from contracting the horrible germs from us as we flit from room to room so we don't kill them. Only in protective type of isolation is sterile garb necessary.......like in burns.
I had NO idea admitting that I am guilty of the ripped fingers would have started this debate and I respect ALL patients and their rights. If my ripped fingers are bothersome to the patient......I don't argue....they don't know any better and don't understand the real risk. I go and get a pair of sterile gloves......for fit and feel.....to start the line and move on to the next patient. It's not a point of contention....I always try to accomodate my patient wishes when I am able.........Peace:D
Alright I'll try to ask this in a different way. forget passing germs, and all that, do you really beleive that if someone complains due to you ripping a finger off the glove that your management will support you and back you up? if for no other reason staying out of thier office is reason enough not to rip a finger.
ok im through not angry just the way i was taught from cna ,phlebotomy, and nursing school. To me in MY opinon its just not suppose to be done. good day
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Alright I'll try to ask this in a different way. forget passing germs and all that, do you really believe that if someone complains due to you ripping a finger off the glove that your management will support you and back you up? if for no other reason staying out of their office is reason enough not to rip a finger.[/quote']
Ummmm....I am the management, but that is besides the point........ and as I said I would go and get sterile gloves if the patient objected or commented and they were upset. And ONLY if it was a difficult stick would I opt out my fingertips.....I guess I really do look at it differently when I think of all the body fluid exposures I've had prior to universal precautions, we just viewed it differently but I am not careless now. I, unlike the RN the OP is talking about, wear gloves for almost all things I touch and I will wait before touching anything soiled or bloody.....and if I get exposed, like I was when I went out to help a patient in labor and the baby was half in half out and down her pant leg.......I follow through with post exposure protocol. I respect your opinion and you.....peace.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
uggh! how do i unsubscribe from this thread??? it's getting really annoying.
at the bottom of the notification e-mail there should be two options at the bottom of the page. one says:
unsubscribe from this thread. the other -
unsubscribe from all threads. if you do that one you won't have to bother remembering not to read posts under the heading that annoys you. :)
i always carry gloves and wear them all the time... but i have come into contact with small amounts of blood in emergency situations. as long as the skin is intact and washed immediately after, the risk is essentially none.
that said, i'd only do it in an emergency situation and only if it was a little blood and only if i didn't have any gloves on me (which is very rare) and if i knew my hands were intact... but i'm talking a true emergency (both my times have been during codes), not a split scalp due to a fall... in my case it was changing over lines and some blood came back out through the angiocath.
lots of the more seasoned staff (lab, docs, nurses...) work without gloves or - my peeve - rip the finger tip off of the glove. {it's a peeve only because it's so silly... either wear a glove or don't, but the finger thing is just... silly.}
it is! with the type of latex gloves we use you would look like a maniac trying to rip off one finger off the glove. cutting it off with a sharp object would be a huge risk for breaks in the skin. i'd probably just throw it out. i guess you could wear four finger cots.
I'll be the first to admit I do not know it all. I totally understand the means of transmission of infection I also know you have to have a carrier. Now if you just left a patient who has c-diff but has not been tested yet so you use alcohol rub instead of soap and water you come in my room start an IV ripped the finger out guess what my protection level just decreased and your naked finger is a carrier. Do what you want to you are any way, but like I've said before if you come into my room to draw blood or start an IV give me a shot and do not glove up you'll be leaving quicker than when you came in and I'm sure the director will have some one on one education on proper hand washing in front of patient and proper gloving up. Yea I'd be willing to bet my life on that cause the directors hate getting phone calls and letters about what the staff did not do. So just glove up it is that simple.
I really don't understand what you're getting your panties in such a twist over.
If you actually listened to what other replies have been, it's that they washed their hands upon entering pt room, put on gloves with one fingertip missing, cleansed pt arm, palpated for vein with fingerless glove, removed gloves, washed their hands again , put on clean gloves, cleansed pt arm again , then attempted IV start.
I don't know any manager who wouldn't stand behind this practice. I don't know whether you're not comprehending what you're reading or just want to argue over hypothetical situations assuming that no one practices universal precautions. The replies you've made have been very angry and threatening. I hope this isn't common practice for you in your workplace and/or life.
For you to state you "do not know it all", you sure had me fooled by the replies you've made implying nurses with bazillions of years experience, know nothing . I wish you well but hope you can contemplate other points of view with an open mind.
I had a saline lock put in today. The tech didn't wear gloves and my blood was visibly on her hands. She used hand sanitizer and walked out. I did feel uneasy about it. scary.
I had a saline lock put in today. The tech didn't wear gloves and my blood was visibly on her hands. She used hand sanitizer and walked out. I did feel uneasy about it. scary.
This is the very type of thing I was talking about. If I missed a post stating someone replaced gloves after ripping a finger out then my bad. What I was referring to was the ones that do not replace the glove with one intact. Ive seen too many tecs and nurses draw blood and start IVs without gloves or with fingers missing, and til Im dead I still stand firm you are not sticking me like that. I'm not angry just strong minded when it has to do with me.
I had a saline lock put in today. The tech didn't wear gloves and my blood was visibly on her hands. She used hand sanitizer and walked out. I did feel uneasy about it. scary.
Did you not say something when you realized she didn't wash her hands or put on gloves
???
Now that is an acceptable instance IMHO to say Stop.
What do nurses do in emergency situations, where damage could be severe? Roadside accidents, etc... no gloves around... isn't it by law as nurses we render aid even without gloves? I'm not sure about that. Like, can we refuse to give CPR without mouth protection?
In the hospital setting, I would keep a pair of spare gloves in my pockets. Good idea there.
This is the very type of thing I was talking about. If I missed a post stating someone replaced gloves after ripping a finger out then my bad. What I was referring to was the ones that do not replace the glove with one intact. Ive seen too many tecs and nurses draw blood and start IVs without gloves or with fingers missing, and til Im dead I still stand firm you are not sticking me like that. I'm not angry just strong minded when it has to do with me.
You are STILL missing the point here. If the patient's blood is on the nurse's hands, that's the NURSE'S problem, NOT YOURS. What is so hard to understand about that?
I don't agree with the nurse doing that, but it is not a threat to YOU (or to the person that posted it). If it's the fact that she used the gel rather than handwashing, fine, but she will touch the outside of her next pair of gloves WITH THOSE HANDS, so the gloves offer no further protection for you as the patient.
Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN
20,908 Posts