Would You Tell

[daedalus]

Is it wrong to go into a house with gloves allready on? What I mean is im not afraid of germs or anything but the second my hands get/clamy/sweaty gloves are not going on. So when we get toned out I put gloves on, and no one has ever really said anythingto me except this 1 person i just worked with me he literally demanded i take my gloves of after we got into the house. When he started telling me to take them i off i figured it was because i there was a latex allergy so i just pulled a pair of no-latex gloves on and thought i'd be good but once again he told me to take them off. I refused now even though there was no bodily fluids i still like to keep my gloves on? Am I so wrong? And can any one think of a reason why this guy wanted my gloves off?

Whoever told you to take off your gloves is an arrogant idiot. Never let someone tell you when you can and cannot protect yourself. Also, this person must have never had to clean a gurney after a patient who was constipated for 6 days became incontinent of the gurney. The smell wont come off. No amount of cavacide and scrubbing will change that. If you want your hands to smell like that too, dont wear gloves.

 

[CFRBryan347768]

Well, not being a driver (volly jr.) I am with the pt. from the initial contact until they are handed over to the ED. Then i pull the sheets off the stretcher throw em in the bin, wipe it down and then gloves off until the next call - and then another pair of gloves to go clean the pt. compartment before the stretcher goes back in - stretcher needs to be made first for purposes of a busy volly town with only 1 scheduled crew (scatter for 2nd calls) so we respond from the ED a lot.

Eh, you should still change your gloves.

 

[JPINFV]

Well, not being a driver (volly jr.) I am with the pt. from the initial contact until they are handed over to the ED. Then i pull the sheets off the stretcher throw em in the bin, wipe it down and then gloves off until the next call - and then another pair of gloves to go clean the pt. compartment before the stretcher goes back in - stretcher needs to be made first for purposes of a busy volly town with only 1 scheduled crew (scatter for 2nd calls) so we respond from the ED a lot.

It doesn't matter if you're providing care or not. If you use the same pair of gloves you are going to be tracking your ambulance's (it's dirty regardless of how well anyone cleans it) and your patient's germs all over the place, including your clipboard and pen. You definitely shouldn't be touching things like door handles or walking through the ER with gloves on due to infection control practices.

Now if this means going through 5-6 pairs of gloves, then go through 5-6 pairs of gloves. I got into the habit of changing gloves when ever I worked on my paperwork during a transport. This way I had a clean pair of gloves on so I wasn't cross contaminating anything, but I could still render any care without taking a second to put gloves on.

 

[TheMowingMonk]

i always keep about 6 pairs of gloves in one of my cargo pockets

 

[MikeRi24]

gloves always on. When I am with my fire dept, even if I'm the officer on the rig just doing the PCR, I still have a pair on. Is this overkill? Maybe, but it's a habbit that I have gotten into. Like others have said, better to be safe than sorry. I personally also tend to suffer from extremely dry skin on my fingers and hads, and the skin is always flaking off and i have a lot of cracks in there, so I really don't want to take any chances if you can see where I'm coming from.

 

[mikeylikesit]

so maybe your partner just figured that you like to "waste" gloves...you know with how expensive they are and everything. i always wear gloves before i see the patient. if i don't need them hey no harm no foul. but since i don't have superman vision i can tell if or what kind of germs and diseases the patient has on them. better safe then sorry.

 

[BossyCow]

so maybe your partner just figured that you like to "waste" gloves...you know with how expensive they are and everything. i always wear gloves before i see the patient. if i don't need them hey no harm no foul. but since i don't have superman vision i can tell if or what kind of germs and diseases the patient has on them. better safe then sorry.

Exactly, the technical term for that is Universal Precautions

 

[emtashleyb]

There is NO such thing as selective BSI. I had never heard of such until I read it here. Any fool that describes such is awaiting to get Hep B, C, and non A-B, C, HIV, and on and on..and then possible be a fomite and transfer something to another patient.

Sorry, patients do not come with placards around their neck describing their history and we do not wear infra-red glasses to see MRSA and E-Coli and all the ten million little germs and viruses.

Sorry, patients lie, they also do not wash their hands after using the restroom, they cough, sneeze, place their fingers into orifices and then .... shake your hand, then grab ahold onto your equipment, stretchers, straps, bench-seats, clipboards, all that you will probably touch during the course of the day.. Are you really sure, you cleaned every spot of that EMS truck?.. I can guarantee you did not Of course... now, you are going to touch that immunosuppressed patient with a a hand that just touched your equipment? How many EMT's know what diseases causes immunosuppression or procedures? Do your patient's tell you that they are immunodeficient? Mine don't & like I stated .. "they lie"... as well. Don' believe me, await tell the physician asks them questions and they are totally opposite of what they told you.

So, treat each patient that they have a potential problem. It is for their protection as well as ours!

R/r 911

again I am going to have to agree. I put my gloves on before I m out of the medic. I also learned from my dad's mistake he let the older guys pressure him into not wearing gloved back in the 80s and he now has hepitius c because of it. Im not trying to keep it going in the family or even catch something worse. I also feel like its for the paitents safety too. They might be too embarassed to tell you they have an immune problem wouldnt you feel like crap if because your carelessness caused them to get very ill?

 

[scottmcleod]

Think back to your training, long long ago...

S - STOP (Collaborate and listen... ice is back with a brand new invention... )
E - Yada
T - Yada
U - Yada
P - Personal Protective Equipment! Put it on.

No gloves = fail in your exam, so why should you get away with it in real life?

On that note, I think my personal kit that lives in my backpack is down to one pair... thanks for reminding me to stock up again!

 

[JPINFV]

No gloves = fail in your exam, so why should you get away with it in real life?

Poor argument. Should every patient get high flow O2 because that's the way the practical station is written (US NREMT exam)?

 

[scottmcleod]

Poor argument. Should every patient get high flow O2 because that's the way the practical station is written?

How did I know that was going to be the first response to my post...

Touché. That on the other hand, might be a mistake in the way we're trained.

Still. Oxygen isn't part of your "do this before you even enter the scene."

(Whatever. I opened my mouth, and you promptly closed it.)

My work is done here.

 

[JPINFV]

I hate it when I have an argument that I want to post, but I can think of a counter right off the bat. I feel your pain.

 

[REMSI Medic 10]

yeah, I don't agree with selective BSI because of MRSA running rampant, I'm never too careful. Even if you fell and need help getting up you're see me with my gloves on.

 

[REMSI Medic 10]

also, if I know a call will be REALLY messy, I'll put on 2 pairs, that way I less on the risk of contaminating the jumpkit or something else.

 

[mikeylikesit]

2 pairs is a bad idea though, the friction or rubber on rubber can easily tear itself.

 

[Jeremy89]

yeah, I don't agree with selective BSI because of MRSA running rampant, I'm never too careful. Even if you fell and need help getting up you're see me with my gloves on.

Actually my grandma just found out she has MRSA. she made us wash our hands even after being within feet of her. It was weird to see it first hand.

 

[LIFESAVER4U]

My gloves are on as soon as I reach the door.

 

[karaya]

I never wear gloves; it is difficult for me to use my cameras with gloves. The only time I don any gloves is if the crew wants me to hold something yucky. :unsure:

 

[Medic9]

Your are not wrong in wanting to wear gloves on every call or for any patient, no one can fault you, however they can fault you if you don't wear them and you are exposed. Gloves are also not that expensive that you cannot use a pair for every call, and sometimes i would not even touch someone's door handle without gloves (Now if the door looks like that, can you imagine what the patient looks like).

I understand the sweaty hands, and having to don a pair of gloves prior, but be careful of that as gloves tend to loose their efficacy after a period of time. It is recommend that you don a new pair of gloves every 20 minutes or so. Thus you can considder to don a second pair over the first.

To throw a stone in the bush: Does your personal General Practitioner wear golves every time he/she examines you??

Nope, but he washes his hands as soon as he comes in the room.
On emergency calls I wear gloves. If I am doing an interfacility transport I usually ditch the gloves once the pt is loaded into the rig and everything is set for the trip. If they are nasty then I keep the gloves on and smear a little Vicks on the back of my glove. That way I can rub my "itchy" chin and smell the Vicks.

 

[mikeylikesit]

If they are nasty then I keep the gloves on and smear a little Vicks on the back of my glove. That way I can rub my "itchy" chin and smell the Vicks.

yeah, i usually do that when I'm in the morgue. never bring it around on the bus though. good idea with the itchy chin thing, I'll remember that one.