DONNING A STERILE GOWN AND CLOSE GLOVING

The nurse must wear a sterile gown in the Operating Room, so sterile objects can be
comfortably handled with less risk of contamination. A nurse assisting physician with invasive
procedure in a treatment room may also wear a sterile gown. A gown is applied after surgical
handwashing and after the nurse has donned a mask and surgical cap. He/She either picks a gown
from a sterile field or has a gown assistant hand him/her one.
The entire surface of the gown is not considered sterile. Only the area from the anterior
waist to the collar including anterior sleeves is sterile.
EQUIPMENTS:
1. Sterile gloves | 2. Disposable Mask | 3. Surgical Cap | 4. Sterile Gown
PROCEDURE:
Action Rationale
Cap and mask reduce chances of
1. Wear cap and surgical mask. transmitting organism to gown by direct
contact or airborne transmission.
Scrubbing eliminates microorganisms
2. Perform the surgical hand scrubbing.
from surface of hands.
After surgical hand scrubbing, the hands
3. Enter the swing door of the OR using the back are rendered to be surgically clean.
or the butt. Therefore, it should not touch any part of
the OR door.
4. Stand on the side of the table where the sterile
gowns are positioned. Grasp one sterile gown Contact of outer surface of gown with a
with the dominant hand and stand in an area dirty or clean surface would result in
where the gown may be opened without risk of contamination of the gown.
contamination.

5. Hold the sterile gown away from the body. If a sterile OR towel is not available, the
Hold the bottom part of the gown with the other bottom part of the gown can be used in
hand to be used in wiping the dominant hand. wiping the hands, making sure that it will
Bend a little while wiping the hand, wrist, not swing or come in contact with a portion
forearm to the elbow extending about 2 inches. of your body, thus, causing it to be
contaminated.
6. Do the same procedure on the non-dominant
hand, this time the dominant hand holds the
bottom part of the gown to wipe the non-
dominant hand, to the forearm, running through
the elbow and 2 inches beyond that.
7. Raise up the gown a little higher to locate the
armholes. The non- dominant hand grasps the Racing the gown, a little higher facilitates
armholes by inserting the fingers securely while easier location of the armholes and
bringing it up and lowering the bottom part of the prevents the risk of touching the floor.
gown.
8. Slip the hands inside the armholes while the
gown is held away from the body. Keep the Extension of arms straight ahead keeps
hands at shoulder level and allows it to unfold sterile outer surface of the gown in view
with the inside of the gown toward the wearer. and reduces risk of contamination.

9. Push the hands and forearms into the sleeves Since closed gloving technique will be
of the gown. Advance the hands only to the used, keeping the hands at the proximal
proximal edge of the cuff. edge of the cuff will prevent contamination
to the sterile gloves during donning.

Call for the circulating nurse to pull the gown Working from behind the scrub nurse
over the shoulder touching only the inner aspect prevents contamination by the circulating
of the gown and tie the strings of the gown. nurse.
10. Lift the first glove and grasp it through the
fabric or sleeve. Place the glove palm down Cuff of glove facilitates easier handling of
along the forearm of the matching hand, with glove.
thumb fingers pointing toward elbow. Glove cuff Only sterile items come in contact with
lies over gown wristlet. each other.

11. Hold glove cuff securely by hand on which it Prevents the hands from contaminating the
is placed. Sleeve to cover gown wristlet entirely. sterile gloves.

12. As cuff is drawn back onto wrist, fingers are

directed into their cots in glove, and glove is Provides a closed sterile method of
adjusted to hand. donning gloves.

13. Use the gloved hand to position remaining

glove on the opposite sleeve in the same fashion.
Place glove cuff around gown cuff. Draw second Provides a closed sterile method of
glove onto hand, and pulls cuff into place and donning gloves.
adjusts fingers of gloves.
14. After donning of the sterile gown and gloves, Gloved hands are held above the waist or
position or place the gloved hands at the chest or at the level of the sterile table to prevent it
on the sterile top of the back table. from becoming unsterile.