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If the glove fits...wear a second one

Ambulatory Safety Monitor, April 14, 2005

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At last week's Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses Congress in New Orleans, operating room nurses offered a potentially troubling report regarding the "double glove" safety precaution: specifically, it doesn't happen regularly enough.

As reported on the PR Newswire, healthcare equipment supplier Regent Medical Ltd.  conducted a survey of approximately 1,500 operating room nurses at the AORN Congress, and only 24% stated that they double glove during 100% of their cases. Another 26% responded that they double glove during only 10% of their surgical cases.

Just 17% of the nurses surveyed responded that the hospital or ASC where they work has a protocol in place regarding double gloving, and 77% of the nurses expressed some degree of concern over the need to double glove.

"Double gloving is an important risk management tool," said Carolyn Twomey, director of clinical affairs for Regent Medical, in a press statement. "Industry surveys show glove failure rates vary from 11% to 51%, so we believe it is critical to take measures to protect both the practitioner and patient as much as possible."

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