GLOVES. Getting a grip on infection control. a complete guide for every exposure level

Transcription

1 E D U C A T I O N A L S E R I E S GLOVES Getting a grip on infection control a complete guide for every exposure level

2 TIDI understands that choosing what gloves to wear, how to wear them, and knowing the specific features and benefits, can be a difficult but important decision. That is why we created this glove education reference to help educate you on what gloves are best to protect your employees. HiRisk Nitrile Exam Gloves Small Medium Large X-Large HiRisk Powderfree Latex Exam Gloves Small Medium Large X-Large SafetyPlus Powderfree Latex Exam Gloves BS Small BS Medium BS Large BS X-Large

3 Safety and Healthcare an organizational viewpoint Many prominent safety organizations in the United States, strongly suggest using gloves to help healthcare workers protect themselves from infectious materials. Examples of this are shown in statements by the following health organizations: OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) CDC (Centers for Disease Control) ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) Gloves shall be worn when it can be reasonably anticipated that the employee may have hand contact with blood, other potential infectious materials, mucous membranes, and non-intact skin; when performing vascular access procedures except as specified in paragraph (d) (3) (ix) (D); and when handling or touching contaminated items or surfaces. 1 All healthcare workers should routinely use appropriate barrier precautions to prevent skin and mucousmembrane exposure when contact with blood or other body fluids of any patient is anticipated. 2 Gloves are essential for handling hazardous drugs. Glove must be worn at all times when handling drug packaging, cartons, and vials, including while performing inventory control procedures and when gathering hazardous drugs and supplies for compounding a batch or single dose. 3 Wear protective gloves and gowns if you are involved in preparation activities such as opening drug packaging, handling vials or finished goods, labeling hazardous drug containers, or disposing of waste. 4

4 / Materials of Gloves Used in Healthcare / Material Advantages Disadvantages LATEX Strong barrier qualities Tear and puncture resistant Has re-seal qualities Good elasticity Not latex free Some elements can deteriorate glove NITRILE Latex free Strong barrier qualities Tear and puncture resistant Comfortable feel Less sensitivity Some elements can deteriorate glove VINYL COPOLYMER Great for short procedures (10-15 min.) Resistant to oil Resistant to tears Good elasticity Not recommended for chemotherapy Poor elasticity Susceptible to breakdown Poor tensile strength Susceptible to tearing Easy to puncture Poor tensile strength Not recommended for chemotherapy / Chemotherapy / For gloves to be sold into chemotherapy, they must be reviewed and cleared by the FDA to be used with chemotherapy drugs. Hospital managers should look for this when deciding on what gloves to purchase. Most gloves used for chemotherapy are tested with the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) F739 test standard which tests permeation for liquids through protective clothing. This test was long seen as the standard test for chemotherapy drugs on gloves, but is now not the case. HiRisk nitrile and latex gloves are tested with the most current, and only, ASTM chemotherapy test specific for testing glove protection against chemotherapy drugs. This test method for chemotherapy drugs is ASTM D Both HiRisk branded latex and nitrile gloves performed well when tested with this standard. Our test results can be seen on our glove packaging or can be requested through TIDI s customer service team.

5 / Double Gloving / Some facilities prefer to use double gloving. This is done to provide extra protection for the healthcare worker. Should any infectious materials come through the glove in the instance of a puncture and touch the healthcare worker, it could be dangerous. TIDI's gloves eliminate the need for double gloving. Their extra thickness doubles, or sometimes even triples the average mils of thickness on a standard latex or nitrile glove. Type of Glove TIDI's glove mil thickness Standard glove mil thickness LATEX 18 mils, 14 mils 4-5 mils NITRILE 8 mils 4 mils By using TIDI's gloves, a facility gains a tremendous cost savings over time by ridding of the need to have their employees double glove. This nitrile glove example below illustrates this. / Cost Savings / Facility 1: Uses single gloving with TIDI's nitrile gloves, at 25 cases per quarter/100 cases per year, at the TIDI price of $0.15 a glove. This facility will pay $7,500 for the year. Facility 2: This facility uses double gloving with standard 4 mil nitrile exam gloves. Its quantity used is 50 cases per quarter/200 cases per year, at an average price of $0.09 per glove. This facility will pay $9,000 for the year. Clearly, TIDI's gloves 8 mil thickness give facilities a great cost savings by not having to double glove. Cost advantage when using TIDI s Gloves $10,000 $8,000 $6,000 $4,000 $2,000 $0 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Two standard nitrile gloves (4 mils) One TIDI HiRisk Nitrile glove (8 mils)

6 / Proper Donning & Removal Techniques of Gloves / To greatly reduce the chance for infecting the healthcare worker, facilities should ensure that workers are taught proper glove donning and removal techniques. The CDC recommends these practices for the donning and removal of gloves to keep healthcare workers safe. Donning The last item of PPE that should be donned are gloves. Be sure to select the type of glove needed for that task in the size that fits best. These should be adjusted as needed for comfort and dexterity. If the healthcare worker is wearing an isolation gown, it should be tucked and securely put underneath the gloves cuff. This will provide a barrier for protecting the skin. 5 Donning Removal Removal To safely remove the glove, use one hand to grasp the outside of the opposite glove near the wrist. Pull and peel the glove away from the hand. The glove should now be turned inside-out, with the contaminated side on the inside. Hold and remove the second glove with the opposite hand. After this is complete, dispose of gloves. 5 / Glove Tips / To further ensure that gloves are worn properly, safely, and effectively, healthcare workers should follow these tips: Keep fingernails trimmed and short to reduce the risk for tears Pull gloves up over cuffs to protect wrists from being exposed to infectious materials Change gloves if heavily soiled Never wash or reuse disposable gloves Limit opportunities for touch contamination 5 Don t store gloves in areas where they will be exposed to extreme temperatures Always wear the correct glove size. A poor fitting glove can limit a healthcare workers ability to perform a task 6 After removing PPE, wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water or, if hands are not visibly soiled, use an alcohol-based hand rub 5

7 / Personal Protection Equipment Product Line / Prevention is a lot easier when you re properly equipped with appropriate PPE. TIDI offers a complete line of single-use personal protective equipment including: Facemasks that are fluid resistant and offer the best-available protection and comfort isolation and chemo gowns for high, medium and low exposure environments Protective Eyewear designed to protect against life-threatening infectious materials PPE Cabinets that provide convenient point-of-use access to PPE References 1. OSHA, Occupational Safety and Health Standards, standard number , CDC, Recommendations for prevention of HIV transmission in health-care settings, MMWR 36(SU02);001, "ASHP Guidelines on Handling Hazardous Drugs." ASHP. 5 Jan NIOSH, NIOSH Alert, Preventing Occupational Exposures to Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drugs in Health Care Settings "Guidance for the Selection and Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Healthcare Settings." CDC. 6 Dec "Infection Prevention Guidelines." Reproline. 10 Dec For ordering information on TIDI's HiRisk and SafetyPlus gloves, contact the TIDI Products customer service team at

8 TIDI Products, LLC 570 Enterprise Drive Neenah, WI USA Customer Service International Fax TIDI Products maintains an unwavering commitment to minimizing the risk of contamination and the spread of infection, protecting both the caregiver and the patient. To manage this responsibility, TIDI Products is focused on understanding the needs of medical and dental providers and the requirements of the patients. Copyright 2013 TIDI Products, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 0313GLVEDUP01