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.
Specializes in Infusion Nursing, Home Health Infusion.
Yes I always wear gloves to perform this task. I can not tell you how many times I touch a patients arm to perform a task that should not expose me to much.....but then there was some open skin or blood from an IV stick or something on the underside of their arm and I was glad I had them on.
Ask your self this "Is there a potential for me to be exposed to any bodily fluid or open skin or mucus membranes". and there is your answer.
Yeah, if I worked with a less sensitive population, that wouldn't be the case.
Most of the population I see is incredibly debilitated. You don't get to stay overnight any more unless you're really fragile or waiting for nursing home placement.
I think it is a matter of not transferring something from our hands to the tubing, and then having been transferred into the tubing. It could happen. Why risk it? Gloves, always gloves.
I have always carried a spare pair of gloves in my pocket because I will not get any patients blood or bodily on my hands, gross.
plus you know those confused patients...you can be cleaning them up and they stick their hand down their and scratch, then you have to take a toothbrush (one time use) to clean their nails...and who knows what they scratch when you are out of the room--but they touch their sheets and clothes and all....then they grab your bare arm when transferring and it creeps me out....sorry...I love em but don't want to take any part of them home with me....
I was always taught that you don't need gloves to flush. And then this past week I was flushing a line, the canula twisted right off the tubing that was attached to the site, and my hands were covered in blood. Wear gloves.
JHACO was in our facility and they 'dinged' a nurse for not wearing gloves when she was drawing up a med. SO, the best answer is, WEAR GLOVES.
Seriously? I haven't heard of that and it's not the current practice where I work. I tried to find the standards but didn't find it in the short amount of time I have. Does anyone else know where this standard is?
I have made it a HABIT to always glove up, when coming into contact with not just the pt but anything that I have to touch that may have came into contact with the pt's skin or body, such as, IV tubing, ng tubes, pulse ox detectors, even restraints, I work in the icu and I see alot of blood smears on the IV tubings, bowel movements on restraints and gowns, sputum on ng tubes, etc, etc...always protect yourself first!
iluvivt, BSN, RN
2,774 Posts
Yes I always wear gloves to perform this task. I can not tell you how many times I touch a patients arm to perform a task that should not expose me to much.....but then there was some open skin or blood from an IV stick or something on the underside of their arm and I was glad I had them on.
Ask your self this "Is there a potential for me to be exposed to any bodily fluid or open skin or mucus membranes". and there is your answer.