To healthcare professionals, thetrue relevance of testing is whether a glove is protective in-use. For example,how well will the glove respond to a hemostat snag or twisting the cap off of amedication container?
The barrier protection of any glove may be further compromisedby everyday practices that include storage conditions, skin care, personalhabits and the inability to rapidly identify type of base material.
If the glove does not stretch, the material may be compromisedeither obviously with a tear or not so obviously at the microscopic level. Whenthis happens, the barrier is broken and potentially infectious or hazardoussubstances can pass through. This risk of barrier breach is compounded if theglove also has a low tensile strength. Therefore, vinyl is not recommended wherethere is a risk of exposure to infectious organisms.1
Out-of-box failure rates (ACLs for water leaks) are importantfor intermediate risk reduction, but they are not predictive of in-use glovebarrier protection once the glove is challenged with rigorous, prolonged orchemically incompatible procedures. The determinants of glove barrier protection are complex. Thebase material of the glove, manufacturing quality requirements and variouson-the-job practices can adversely alter assumed barrier efficacy. Although thebase material of a glove presents certain performance capability limits, thereare significant variations among gloves made of the same material from differentmanufacturers.
Prior to purchase and use, obtain data from the manufacturerson testing performed by independent laboratories for the gloves underevaluation. Make certain the test data represent the actual gloves beingpurchased. Perform inspections for glove defects as well as in-use tests to seeif the gloves can maintain protection during the tasks for which they are beingselected.
The following table illustrates the strengths and limitationsof the gamut of gloves on the market.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) is serious about reducing colds and flu among its young patients this winter. With support from Professional Disposables Inc., makers of Sani-Hands for Kids Instant Hand Sanitizing Wipes, CCHMC recently taught the youngsters proper hand hygiene. PDI’s Infection Control Specialist, Deb Hagberg, reads the new book, “The Adventures of Cora and Cory: The Germ-o-tron,” ...
DENVER – Research conducted by University of Denver (DU) associate professor Renée Botta suggests that it takes "gross" messaging to get undergraduate students to wash their hands more frequently after going to the bathroom.In the fall quarter of 2007, researchers posted messages in the bathrooms of two DU undergraduate residence halls. The messages said things like, "Poo on you, wash ...
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The days are getting shorter, temperatures are dropping, and the cold and flu season is beginning. Many people have started taking vitamin C tablets as a precautionary measure. But research has shown that vitamin supplements do not provide nearly as much protection as other measures, like frequently washing your hands -- and that high doses can even be harmful. The ...
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Bacteria and viruses are the microscopic organisms – otherwise known as germs -- that are responsible for causing and transmitting illness and disease. These microbes are so small, that according to the American Society for Microbiology, if the smallest of all microbes was the size of a baseball, an average bacterium would then be the size of the pitcher's mound, and just one of the millions of cells that make up your body would be the size of the ballpark!
