Glove protocol

Non-sterile disposable gloves must be used when handling blood or other bodily fluids.

This protocol previously included information on the use of the use of gloves to control COVID-19. This has been updated as clinical consensus is that COVID-19 is predominantly spread via airbourne infection, where gloves have limited efficacy.

Contents

• 1 When to use gloves
  • 1.1 Gloves must be worn
  • 1.2 Gloves can be worn
• 2 How to use gloves
• 3 Which gloves to use

When to use gloves

Gloves must be worn

• When handling blood or other bodily fluids
  • Remove gloves immediately afterwards and wash your hands as soon as possible.
• When doing first aid
  • Change gloves in between patients.
  • Always use gloves, even when you don’t expect bodily substances; your patient might suddenly vomit.
• When doing first aid
• When dealing with patients known or suspected to have infections which are spread via water or surfaces(“fomites”), such as detectable HIV/AIDS, diarrhoea or hepatitis.

Gloves can be worn

• If you have a skin condition which is exacerbated by hand-washing
  • Wash your gloved hands or change gloves as frequently as you would wash bare hands.

How to use gloves

• Gloves are used in conjunction with hand hygiene, not an alternative to it. Whenever possible, always wash or sanitise your hands immediately before putting on gloves, and immediately after taking them off.

• While wearing gloves to deal with an fomite-spread infection, don’t touch anything that could transmit virus to or from your gloved hands (your face, your phone etc. - be vigilant here).

• When taking off gloves, you must not touch the exterior with your bare skin:

  1. Pinch the material of one glove near the wrist with the gloved fingers of your other hand. Pull the glove off your hand
  2. Using only your gloved hand, crumple the glove you have removed into a ball and hold it in the palm of your gloved hand
  3. Slide your bare fingers inside the wrist of your gloved hand. Use these to pull the glove off, so that it turns inside out and encloses the balled-up glove.

How to remove gloves

Which gloves to use

• Nitrile gloves should be chosen unless there is a good reason not to.

• Latex gloves can be used if you know for certain that neither you nor the casualty have a latex allergy, and no nitrile gloves are available

• Vinyl gloves are more likely to leak, and should not be used if other options are available.