1. Emphasize its
importance
The benefits and safety
margin of double gloving
are still not clear to many
surgical team members,
according to Mary J. Ogg,
MSN, RN, CNOR, senior
perioperative practice spe-
cialist at AORN. "Anytime
you have a hole in your
glove, you could be
increasing the risk for surgical site infections," she says. "A double
layer of gloves reduces the risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens
and also reduces the risk of healthcare workers transmitting any type
of bloodborne pathogens to patients."
Jos H. Verbeek, MD, PhD, a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute
of Occupational Health, says the evidence for double gloving's benefits
is irrefutable. "The argument for double gloving is that it protects better
against needlestick injuries," he says. "Dozens of randomized trials have
shown that the number of perforations in inner gloves is greatly
reduced compared with the number in single gloves."
If you've been doing something one way for many years, there's a
reluctance to change. A lot of surgical professionals have always used
single gloves and have never been injured. But that does not change
the fact that double gloving improves safety for both patients and
staff.
To make change happen, change the culture, suggests Ms. Ogg.
"Your staff must understand that while they may not have had prob-
lems in the past, they could someday transmit something to a patient
6 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A y 2 0 1 8
• CLEAR INDICATOR Wearing different colored gloves make small tears on
the outerglove more visible and alerts staff to change into intact pairs.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
