When to wear gloves!?

[LaurRN]

Hi all,

I am a brand new nurse one month out on the job. I went in to a patient's room today to disconnect the IV antibiotic and flush the line, and I put on gloves. The nurse who orients me said she never wears gloves to flush an IV and asked me why I did. I was told that you always wear gloves whenever you are in any situation where you could come in contact with blood.

Am I being over cautious by wearing gloves for simple flushes? What do you all do when you are flushing lines? I couldn't find an official protocol in any of my books just for a simple flush.

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:redpinkhe

[Blee O'Myacin, BSN, RN]

Wear gloves. You never know. Better to keep things cleaner for the patient also.

[lpnflorida]

You were correct in wearing gloves. Not everyone does, however we each are responsible for how we practice. We all realize the right way of doing things and then there is the other way.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

While you may be technically correct, I don't see how I'm at risk for coming into contact with blood by simply taking off an atx and flushing the line. I've never had it suddenly twist free of the body and start leaking blood.

So no, I don't wear gloves to flush a line. And while majority rule doesn't make something right, I've never seen any of the other nurses on my unit do this either.

[lpnflorida]

Murphy's law, just about the time you believe each and every time you don't need gloves there will be that time you wish you had them on. lol

[Farmer Jane]

I don't, as there's no significant risk of touching blood, but you're not hurting anything by wearing gloves so go for it if it makes you feel more comfortable.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

I do, more because it's another barrier between my germy hands and the clean line than because I'm worried about blood.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I do because my hands usually have at least one cut/abrasion on them thanks to my hobbies--or my cats.

So while the risk of blood exposure during a flush is not great...given the state of my hands, wearing the gloves makes me feel better.

[NeoNurseTX, RN]

I do, more because it's another barrier between my germy hands and the clean line than because I'm worried about blood.

This.

I wear gloves any time I TOUCH a patient, period.

[Farmer Jane]

In the NICU that's definitely appropriate.

[NeoNurseTX, RN]

Yeah, if I worked with a less sensitive population, that wouldn't be the case.

[NurseKatie08, MSN]

I wear gloves when I flush lines...it couldn't hurt.