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M A R C H 2 0 1 4 | O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
What about the nurses?
Research published in the AORN Journal (
tinyurl.com/8gwyy5a
)
involved the assessment of more than 8,500 gloves worn in double lay-
ers by a total of 702 surgical professionals, including surgical resi-
dents, RNs, attending surgeons, surgical fellows and surgical techs.
According to the findings, 1.3% of those who wore single gloves
noticed visible defects during surgery while only 0.3% of those who
double-gloved noticed breaches to the protective layer of the inner
glove. Within 4 hours of surgery, investigators filled used gloves with
1,000ml of water, hung the gloves for 2 minutes and visually inspected
them for leaks. The leak test revealed 6.3% of single gloves showed
leaks, compared with 1.9% of inner gloves.
The researchers say the results show that double-gloving minimizes
the risk of defect to the inner glove and exposure to blood during sur-
gery, which backs claims that wearing 2 layers effectively minimizes
risks of needlesticks and sharps injuries. They also note that surgical
team members who wear an indicator glove when double-gloving are
more likely to change the outer glove immediately when a breach
occurs.
A report in the American Journal of Surgery (
tinyurl.com/owvqdew)
specifically addresses the effectiveness of double-gloving in protecting
surgical nurses, a population glove-related studies don't often focus
on. The study's authors detected perforations in 9% of single gloves, in
11% of outer gloves and in none of the inner gloves worn by double-
gloved first assistants and scrub nurses. Specifically, perforations
were noticed in 5.36% and 3.57% of single gloves worn by first assis-
tants and scrub nurses, respectively, and 4.72% and 6.60% of outer
gloves worn by double-gloved first assistants and scrub nurses,
respectively.
D O U B L E - G L O V I N G
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