Wearing Gloves in the NICU

elizabells, BSN, RN · Oct 14, 2007

I work in a level... I guess it's a IV. We almost never wear gloves. Always with babies on contact isolation, of course, and in the transitional nursery when they're still covered in vernix. Sometimes when doing blood and IVs. Yes during dressing changes and (duh) sterile procedures. We are, however, nearly fascist about Purelling, and in fact have the highest hand hygiene compliance in the (huge, urban university) hospital system - 88%, which is around double the national average.

MA Nurse · Oct 15, 2007

I just finished my NICU rotation in med/surg II. We were only allowed to deal with the Level II kiddos because they aren't as critical as the Level III & IV babies. Well, all the nurses that I worked with didn't wear gloves. One wore gloves for diaper changes. We did however scrub with a surgical type scrub before the beginning of the shift and continued to wash with antibacterial soap throughout the day. I was wondering if this was common with the level II babies or for all the babies or for none! How do you all do things at your hospital? I tried to search in my book regarding wearing gloves and found nothing. Thank you in advance to helping to clear this up for me! -bren;)

All patients, even babies, should be on universal precautions. You don't have to constantly wear gloves, but I do with diaper changes and feedings. Feedings can involve breast milk, which is a body fluid, and possibly emesis. We all know what diapers involve! Also, when doing any invasive procedures such as Iv's and blood draws, etc. you should wear gloves. Wear them when you know you should. Just because some nurses don't wear them when they should doesn't make it right.

LilPeanut, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 15, 2007

We are required to for all patient contact at my hospital. It was a change a few years ago. We have greatly cut down on the number of MRSA kids we have now.

RainDreamer, BSN, RN · Oct 15, 2007

We scrub when we come into the unit and we wear gloves any time we touch any baby. We use alcohol sanitizer, then put gloves on, do what we need to do with the baby, and then alcohol sanitize the hands again. It just becomes second nature.

Our NNPs and neos are great with it too. We do have to remind the residents sometimes, but that's about it.

Our infections rates are very low, quite a bit lower than the national average. I can't even remember the last time we had a baby with MRSA or anything else that needs to be isolated.

nicuRN2007 · Oct 16, 2007

I wear gloves when there's a possibility I will come into contact with a bodily fluid (starting IV's, drawing labs, changing diaper [but usually only if it's stool], or when handling breast milk). We scrub when we come in and have alcohol foam at each baby's bedside, which I use before and after handling a baby.

WDWpixieRN, RN · Oct 17, 2007

Wear them when you know you should. Just because some nurses don't wear them when they should doesn't make it right.

I watched a nurse in the hospital where I am doing clinicals start an IV (on an adult) with no gloves...when she retracted the needle, the guy bled like a stuck pig all over her hands and down the side of the bed. She just held on to it until she finally attached the tubing. I was speechless.

I was told that quite a few older nurses were trained NOT to use gloves, but it seems in this day and age that hospitals would require the use of gloves as much to protect themselves from liability as to protect their staff and pts. I found it just gross.

Preemienurse23 · Oct 18, 2007

I was told that quite a few older nurses were trained NOT to use gloves, but it seems in this day and age that hospitals would require the use of gloves as much to protect themselves from liability as to protect their staff and pts. I found it just gross.

One of my mentors was telling me about when she started that they didnt use gloves. They also had 2 metal bedpans for the entire unit, cleaned and sterilized them between each pt use....

When we come in, we scrub to our elbows. Some of our nurses wear gloves for just about everything from diaper changes to feedings and some don't. I personally wear them when I am changing the diaper, or I use the hand sanitizer right after, ESPECIALLY if I am about to feed my baby or sxn them. I also try to wear them when I am doing an IV, and I always do with lab draws. And then of course there are our isolation babies and the ones still covered in vernex.