Vag exams with sterile gloves or regular gloves?

[RNBelle]

What are the ACOG or AWHONN guidelines on vag exams and sterile gloves? Is there ever a time when it is appropriate to do an exam with the regular non sterile exam gloves?

[8jimi8ICURN]

when you are in the pre-hospital setting and don't have any sterile gloves and it is a medical emergency... prolapsed cord. Even in the pre-hospital setting... any ambulance service should have at least 1 OB kit.

When would "you" allow someone to use something un-sterile on "yours?" (Generalized you, i'm not pointing fingers or judging i promise!)

[BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

I've never seen sterile gloves used for non OB exams.

[Anisettes, BSN, RN]

The lady parts isn't remotely sterile and barring lacerations or OB considerations (possibly even then), clean gloves are perfectly acceptable. In the OR the lady parts is classified by AORN guidelines as Class II/Clean-Contaminated.

For example, say with a laparascopic hysterectomy (or other similar cases where cross contamination between the two sites is possible) there is a 'sterile' filed and a 'clean' field and once anything (glove, instrument, gowned elbow, etc...) touches anything from the lady parts or something that's been in contact with the lady parts, it's considered contaminated.

So I don't see where you'd need sterile gloves for a lady partsl exam. Clean gloves (not dropped on the floor first, of course) should be fine.

[8jimi8ICURN]

i defer to experienced professionals :)

[RNBelle]

Thanks! Just curious because we have had some people start using the blue non sterile gloves for vag exams and the rest of us at work were suprised and questioning it.

[Calliegirl]

we always use sterile gloves.

[JenTheRN]

Sterile gloves ALWAYS when checking a pregnant vag exam. True the lady parts isn't sterile. But when you are doing an exam you always run the risk of adding pathogens that aren't normally in there. Not really a big deal if there is no baby in that uterus. But when there is, it is always better to be safe that sorry and use a sterile glove.

[CEG]

When I do prenatal paps and pelvic exams I do not use sterile gloves/technique. When someone is term, r/o labor at any point, r/o PPROM/PROM/SROM I do. We do sterile spec exams for r/o SROM. That's the procedure for our practice.

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

Going in for my 39 week check up tomorrow and I'm going to watch what they use. From what I remember as a non ob nurse/ mom of 5...non sterile at the docs and sterile while at the hospital.

[dcav]

I once observed an MD don sterile gloves to do a VE on a pt in labor, then she opened a cabinet with the gloves on, grabbed something from there, and then proceeded to examine the pt without changing them. Yuck and scarey.

[MS Kathy]

We use sterile gloves. Heck I want my care providers to wear sterile gloves to do anything to me (I'm only slightly kidding). Glove boxes are yucky!