One of the most critical components to donning gloves is hand hygiene. You must perform hand hygiene before resident contact, even though you are wearing gloves. The way YOU use gloves can influence the risk of disease transmission in your healthcare setting.

DO:

• Perform hand hygiene before and after resident contact, even when gloves are worn.
• Work from clean to dirty.
• Perform hand hygiene after glove removal.
• Change gloves as needed during resident care activities.

DON'T:

• Touch yourself while wearing contaminated gloves. This limits opportunities for cross-contamination.
• Handle clean materials, equipment, or surfaces while wearing contaminated gloves.
• Wear the same pair of gloves for the care of more than one resident.
• Wash disposable gloves.

It is important to note that gloves can spread illnesses just like bare hands. Wearing gloves does not stop the transfer of pathogens. It is very easy for cross-contamination to occur even when wearing gloves. Be mindful of the order in which you touch things (remember clean to dirty) and when you may need to change gloves mid-procedure.

Example: You have entered Mrs. Johnson's room to provide care of an open wound. While preparing the materials you will need, you accidentally touched the rim of the trash can. What should you do?