12.2.3: Procedure- Donning and Doffing gloves
Gloves should be used any time you will come into contact with blood or body fluids including vomitus, urine, feces, or saliva. Gloves should also be worn when providing a bath, mouth care, when shaving a patient, and when disposing of soiled linens, dressings, and bed pads . Gloves should be worn anytime you have cuts or open areas on your hands in which bacteria could enter your skin. If allergic to latex Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides should inform their employer so that appropriate latex free gloves can be provided to them. Gloves are only to be used once. Never wash or reuse them. Any time gloves become soiled, torn, or wet, replace them with new ones. Remember to perform hand hygiene prior to and after removing gloves.
Donning (A pplying ) G loves :
- Wash and dry your hands as outlined in the hand washing procedure.
- If right-handed, pick up one glove with your right hand. Position glove so that the thumb side of the glove aligns with your thumb on your left hand. Slide glove onto your left hand.
- If left-handed, pick up glove with your left hand and slide onto your right hand. Be sure not to touch anything that may be contaminated.
- Keep hands above your waist while donning gloves to ensure you do not touch contaminated surfaces.
- With your gloved hand, take the second glove and slide your other hand into it.
- Be sure to replace any gloves that appear soiled, ripped, or torn.
Doffing (R emoving ) G loves :
- When removing gloves, touch only the outside of the glove. Do not touch your wrist or skin with contaminated gloves.
- Grasp the outer surface of the glove below your thumb. Be careful not to touch the skin under your glove. Grasp the glove and peel the glove off, so that it is inside out. Keep the discarded glove in the remaining gloved hand.
- With your ungloved hand, put two fingers underneath the cuff of the remaining glove, taking care not to touch the outside of the dirty glove. Peel glove off your hand in the direction towards your fingers, away from your body. As you remove the glove, turn it inside out into the other discarded glove. This keeps the soiled gloves together with their dirty surfaces folded inside, rather than on the outside. This prevents risking contaminating your hands with the soiled gloves.
- Discard gloves and wash your hands as outlined in the hand washing procedure.