Gloves must be worn for touching blood and body fluids, mucous membranes or non-intact skin of all patients. Gloves must be worn for handling specimens of blood or body fluids, for performing venipuncture and other vascular access procedures, and for changing any wound dressings. Double sterile gloving is strongly recommended in the Operating Room. Double gloves should be changed when their ability to provide a barrier to blood or body fluids is compromised. The University of Virginia uses powderless, low latex exam gloves.
All gloves are disposable and single-use.
Used gloves should be discarded into an appropriate receptacle, and hands washed before touching clean items such as computers, telephones, patient charts, etc. When performing patient care activities and gloves become contaminated, discard them, wash hands and reglove. Gloves must also be changed when torn and after contact with each patient. If health care workers develop dermatitis on their hands, it should be reported to Occupational Health. Occupational Health will assess what the health care worker needs, i.e., different soap, or latex-free gloves, which are available for health care workers or patients with latex allergies.