Wearing gloves with HIV positive patients

[Leekri]

(First time writing here)

Yesterday during my clinical, I was interviewing a HIV positive patient. Half way through, the primary nurse asked me to talk with her in the hall, and when we spoke she told me to wear gloves whenever I was with the patient or touching things in his environment.

The patient didnt have any open open cuts or bodily fluids out, and I didn't have any cuts and was just talking with the patient. There weren't any signs saying to use any special precautions either...

I personally don't think that situation neccesitated the need for gloves, but I was hoping to get someone else's opinion on this. :)

Also I'm a student, and the nurse was really adamant on the gloves so I didn't really ask questions.

[SmilingBluEyes]

What ON EARTH does the nurse advocating wearing gloves for every interaction with HIV or HEP + patients do when:

She goes to the grocery store?

She is at the mall?

The movies?

Dining out? (who knows who has such diseases that serves food daily from the chef to servers)

The ATM machine?

Out in public in general?

We have no way of knowing what is on that shopping cart, the debit card machine or even the fruit/veggies in the produce section. Will she glove up being in public? Does she know if that person who sat in that movie seat before had any of the above? Nope, none of us do.

Yet, so far, I am negative for all such diseases. I work with HEP C and B+ patients and have with HIV + as well---- in a specialty that involves tons of blood. But I shake hands, hug and touch all my patients who need and accept that human touch, without gloves. They are all human beings. And a good point already made: There are a lot of patients positive for the above and we just don't know. I am fearful of TB more as we often find out we cared for a TB+ patient days after discharge. I have been through that scare more than once.

Patients need the human touch and we as nurses are uniquely qualified to provide it. They are not stupid; if all the staff walk into their room gloved up, they will feel like they are "dirty" or "less than". That is unacceptable.

[Sour Lemon]

Patients need the human touch and we as nurses are uniquely qualified to provide it. They are not stupid; if all the staff walk into their room gloved up, they will feel like they are "dirty" or "less than". That is unacceptable.

I prefer my human touches to come from those personally close to me as opposed to medical staff. I tend to be an "over-glover" because it's what I prefer when I'm the patient.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

The OP was NOT performing patient care. She has said this more than once. Since when does having a conversation with an HIV+ patient necessitate the donning of gloves? How exactly does carrying on a conversation put a nurse at risk? How will wearing gloves protect the nurse from the dangers inherent in a conversation?

This is overkill, and it sends the message to the patient that a)the nurse is afraid of him, and b)that the nurse doesn't understand how the virus is transmitted.

[Crystal-Wings, LVN]

I would have asked her if she was still stuck in the 1980's. She sounds like (not OP, the staff nurse) a moron. What the heck do you need gloves for if you're not doing patient care? Some people amaze me. Great way to make the patient feel like ****.

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

What is this, 1985?? HIV does not warrant contact precautions.

Wash hands/alcogel before and after patient contact

Gloves when dealing with body fluids and non intact skin

Its not difficult

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

If you don't want to contract HIV from your patients, don't have sex with them, share tattoo or IV drug needles with them, or transfuse yourself with their blood. If you don't do those things, you will be fine.

Furthermore, the CDC's most recent statement suggests that if the pt's viral load is undetectable, then they really can't transmit HIV.

Years ago, when I was a brand new nurse, I had a pt whose AV fistula had abscessed. He was HIV+. His fistula ruptured on my shift, and I ran into his room and instinctively slammed my bare hand down on top of the artery shooting blood shooting out of his arm onto the walls and ceiling. He yelled at me to grab gloves, but I wasn't moving my hand, and at that point my hand was already covered in his blood.

If I didn't get HIV from that, there is no way you will get HIV from a pt interview. The nurse that told you to wear gloves is stupid and wrong, and reeks to me of the phobia we dealt with in the 80s.

I cant like this enough

[Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP]

I am guilty for wearing gloves for absolutely everything. I will not touch a single thing in the room without gloves on. It's just my own germ phobia coming into play and I get skeeved out just knowing how many bacteria there may be on any given surface. However, the difference is, I know that's not standard and I don't do it because of a particular diagnosis.

[Dakeirus]

Having worked at multiple hospitals, I can tell you that this notion of putting on gloves just because someone is HIV+ is still pretty rampant. I've heard it from nurses, nursing assistants, CRNAs, and yes--even doctors. It's pretty freaking moronic and ignorant. We know a whole more about HIV now than we ever did in the 80s.

Nothing ticks me off more than someone telling me to put on gloves as they signal me that the patient is "high five". We place patients all the time on the monitors without putting on gloves and then all of a sudden, I have to for this patient? Really? I just stare at them and ask them why. And if they tell me it's because the patient is HIV+, I ask them "Can you please remind again how HIV is transmitted?"

[Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP]

Having worked at multiple hospitals, I can tell you that this notion of putting on gloves just because someone is HIV+ is still pretty rampant. I've heard it from nurses, nursing assistants, CRNAs, and yes--even doctors. It's pretty freaking moronic and ignorant. We know a whole more about HIV now than we ever did in the 80s.

Nothing ticks me off more than someone telling me to put on gloves as they signal me that the patient is "high five". We place patients all the time on the monitors without putting on gloves and then all of a sudden, I have to for this patient? Really? I just stare at them and ask them why. And if they tell me it's because the patient is HIV+, I ask them "Can you please remind again how HIV is transmitted?"

I will always inform my coworkers if the patient they are about to interact with carries a communicable disease, no matter its etiology. I think it's just professional courtesy. It doesn't mean, however, that they should treat the patient like a leper, but things can and do happen during a simple bed change that might make that information pertinent.

[Dakeirus]

I will always inform my coworkers if the patient they are about to interact with carries a communicable disease, no matter its etiology. I think it's just professional courtesy. It doesn't mean, however, that they should treat the patient like a leper, but things can and do happen during a simple bed change that might make that information pertinent.

Sure, I am all for that. But there's a difference between someone calling me from the OR saying "Just an FYI, the patient who's about to come out is HIV+" and "You absolutely need to wear gloves. This patient has HIV." Ermagard, let's wear hazmat suits!! The sad part is they say it out loud in front of the patients like they're, as you put it, some sort of leper.

I've had a nurse question me on why I was touching an HIV+ patient without gloves when I was merely talking to her and only touched her shoulder once. Seriously? And when she wanted to shake my hand and thank me for taking care of her before sending her off from the PACU, was I supposed to say, "Hold on, let me wear some gloves first. OK, now you can shake my hand."

Honestly, I'm more worried about bringing home Cdiff whenever I work in the MICU.

[LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM]

Sure, I am all for that. But there's a difference between someone calling me from the OR saying "Just an FYI, the patient who's about to come out is HIV+" and "You absolutely need to wear gloves. This patient has HIV." Ermagard, let's wear hazmat suits!! The sad part is they say it out loud in front of the patients like they're, as you put it, some sort of leper.

I've had a nurse question me on why I was touching an HIV+ patient without gloves when I was merely talking to her and only touched her shoulder once. Seriously? And when she wanted to shake my hand and thank me for taking care of her before sending her off from the PACU, was I supposed to say, "Hold on, let me wear some gloves first. OK, now you can shake my hand."

Honestly, I'm more worried about bringing home Cdiff whenever I work in the MICU.

I agree with everything you just said PLUS I now love you because you said "Ermagerd." Favorite meme ever.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I prefer my human touches to come from those personally close to me as opposed to medical staff. I tend to be an "over-glover" because it's what I prefer when I'm the patient.

We agree to disagree.