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.
This post immediately made me think back to my med-surg 1 clinical instructor, an excellent nurse, a nun, (not drawing any conclusions). She admonished one of us for wearing gloves while doing colostomy care. She said it was "insulting to the patients to wear gloves". Of course this was pre-universal precautions. I also witnessed her with my own eyes diving right in ungloved when a pt was bleeding. When I used to start IVs, I always had my "works" in my lab coat pockets. I would wash my hands, palpate the pt 's arms,(find my site), then apply my tourniquet. Then I would prepare my sterile field. I always wore sterile gloves. As far as what this "seasoned" nurse did, I probably would have done the same. Assured the pt was safe, then wash my hands. No one put a gun to my head and forced me to take those Boards. Pt's rely on us. Yes, if I have time and there is a risk of blood exposure I glove. When inserting an IV properly, there is NO blood exposure. In fact, after inserting 1000's of IV's I have never been exposed. Don't knock the healing touch of skin to skin contact.
Why would you wear sterile gloves for an IV start?
At the institution where I was employed, IV insertion was done under sterile conditions. This did dramatically cut down on infection rate.
That still doesn't make sense to me. When an IV insertion is done properly, nothing touches the site once it is cleaned, and nothing touches the needle, so that remains sterile no matter what. I wonder what was wrong with the technique that was being used before the policy change was made?
Specializes in Long term care, Rehab/Addiction/Recovery.
That still doesn't make sense to me. When an IV insertion is done properly, nothing touches the site once it is cleaned, and nothing touches the needle, so that remains sterile no matter what. I wonder what was wrong with the technique that was being used before the policy change was made?
(Answering from memory): Opening up the angiocath and laying it inside the sterile field it remains sterile. If u pick it up with clean hands or clean gloves it is no longer sterile. No of course fingers never touch the needle. But in the population in which I worked where everyone was a hard stick, you kinda picked a "few sites". You can lay out more than one angiocath if you think that you will need it. You are still palpating while you are accessing the vein; feeling for valves. Prior to this "method", IV's were done in the ER any old way, and reinserted when they came out by interns who doubtfully washed their hands! Any other questions??
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Is this just hospital floors? I would be curious if the hospital floors aren't actually cleaner than those in the grocery store, gas station, etc (of course outside of an obvious body fluid spill).
I'm sure there are so many things we touch without even thinking about it that :barf01: = anything that has been touched by the general public, maybe even grocery store touchpads would be loaded with disgusting things. I'll never forget the sight of a hotel bedspread under a black light ohhh blecchhhh....
Then there was the paramedic blogger who pointed out in nauseating detail (with pictures!) just what was where and where it came from on their backboards. Nasty. Worse than the bedspread.
Then there is the psychology of it where we all have rituals for getting rid of something called "feeling icky". While we didn't wear gloves to give injections, we were fanatic about hand-washing. Even so, after a day of giving one IM after another I just felt grossed out -- one of my co-workers said "oh you have butt-fingers'. I had no idea there was a name for it. That was just their way of describing the phenomenon. Some areas of nursing will cause it in an hour, some perhaps a week.
I had a nurse messing w/ my son's IV (it was leaking everywhere from the site) w/out gloves and it completely freaked me out. I don't want my son to be at risk because she may have just touched something she shouldn't have w/out gloves and not washed up well or Lord knows you can't kill all the bacteria.
And once again, those dirty filthy hands have to TOUCH THE GLOVES to get them out of the box and put them on. Thus the gloves are just as dirty or MORE depending on who all has stuck their hands in that box.
I understand the general public not getting it, but how is it nurses don't get it??
THE GLOVES ON THE WALL ARE NOT STERILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Answering from memory): Opening up the angiocath and laying it inside the sterile field it remains sterile. If u pick it up with clean hands or clean gloves it is no longer sterile. No of course fingers never touch the needle. But in the population in which I worked where everyone was a hard stick, you kinda picked a "few sites". You can lay out more than one angiocath if you think that you will need it. You are still palpating while you are accessing the vein; feeling for valves. Prior to this "method", IV's were done in the ER any old way, and reinserted when they came out by interns who doubtfully washed their hands! Any other questions??
Wow, geez. Forgive me for asking for clarification for something that (still, sorry) isn't rational?
Protect our patients from us, protect us from our patients-wear the gloves!!
One more time, for the cheap seats in the back: gloves are NOT to protect patients!
I've had several parents (and teachers) shoot me dirty looks for gloving up before cleaning their child's wound or holding pressure to a nosebleed if the child can't do it himself. I could care less. Kids get bloodborne diseases too, and I am not risking my health for your little precious.
I have ripped a few teachers for cleaning up cuts or nosebleeds without gloves (we have mandatory training on bloodborne pathogens and I give them gloves at the beginning of the year!)
cherrybreeze, ADN, RN
1,405 Posts
Why would you wear sterile gloves for an IV start?