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Wear gloves during nursing care,
as well as washing hands

Wearing gloves is essential in many nursing situations to protect patients and those caring for them, but hand washing is important too.

The infectious agents that cause hospital-acquired or nosocomial infections in patients are mainly transmitted via the hands of nursing staff.

Nursing staff must wear gloves when there is a risk of contact with blood, biological fluids, mucus or broken skin of either a patient or other nursing personnel.

Hand washing is also crucial to prevent the spread of infections via the hands, in particular before putting on gloves and after removing them.

The choice of type of glove (sterile, latex etc.) and the frequency with which the gloves are changed depends upon the level of protection required, the nature and duration of the act being carried out, and the damage gloves may suffer during care procedures.

Used gloves themselves can be a source of contamination and must be disposed of as hazardous medical waste.

©Prescrire May 2006

Source: "Soigner avec des gants : en complément du lavage des mains" Rev Prescrire 2006 ; 26 (271) : 282-285.

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