GLOVING AND

DEGLOVING TECHNIQUE
IN HEALTH CARE

RICHARD F. PIDLAOAN, RN. MAN

Clinical Instructor
VMUF, College of Nursing
GLOVING

Gloving is defined as the putting on of a pair of sterile

gloves to protect ones own hand from pathogenic
microorganisms and to avoid contamination of a sterile
area by hand. Gloving is the process of wearing gloves.

Hand hygiene coupled with the use of protective gloves,

is a key component in minimizing the spread of disease-
producing microorganisms and maintaining an infection-
free environment.
 WHAT IS A GLOVES?
• A glove (Middle English
from Old English glof) is a
garment covering the
whole hand. Gloves have
separate sheaths or
openings for each finger
and the thumb; if there is
an opening but no (or a
short) covering sheath
for each finger they are
called fingerless gloves.
 Gloves
Use: Patient care, environmental services, and others.
• Gloves materials: – vinyl, latex, nitrile and others.
• Sterile or non-sterile
• One or two pair
• Single use or reuseable
 Medical gloves
• Medical gloves are examples of
personal protective equipment
that are used to protect the
wearer and/or the patient from
the spread of infection or illness
during medical procedures and
examinations. Medical gloves
are one part of an infection-
control strategy.
Medical gloves
• Medical gloves are disposable and
include examination gloves,
surgical gloves, and medical gloves
for handling chemotherapy agents
(chemotherapy gloves). These
gloves are regulated by the FDA as
Class I reserved medical devices
that require a 510(k) premarket
notification. FDA reviews these
devices to ensure that performance
criteria such as leak resistance, tear
resistance and biocompatibility are
met.
Purpose:-
• To protect the nurse from the pathogenic microorganisms.
• To safely use her hands to handle without contaminating any
objects.

Indications:-
• Contact with open wounds.
• For strict aseptic diagnostic procedures.
• Nurse or health personnel with any cut injury in hands or
fingers.
• Handle with infected materials like blood, urine etc.
• For surgical procedure and delivery procedure.
General principles for gloves use:-
• All staff should wear appropriate gloves prior to contact with
blood, body fluids, secretions or excretions from any patients.
• A separate pair of gloves must be used for each patients to
avoid cross contamination.
• Wearing gloves does not replace the need for hand washing.

Sterile gloves may be put on in two ways:-

• By closed gloving technique
• By open gloving technique
A. Closed gloving technique
1. Lay the glove palm down over the cuff of the gown.
The fingers of the glove face toward.
2. Working through the gown sleeve, grasp the cuff of
the glove and bring it over the open cuff of the sleeve.
3. Unroll the glove cuff so that it covers the sleeve cuff.
4. Proceed with the opposite hand, using the same
technique.
5. Never allow the bare hands to contact the gown cuff
edge or outside glove.
B. Open gloving technique
1. Pick up the glove by its inside cuff with one hand. Do not
touch the glove wrapper with the bare hand.
2. Slide the glove onto the opposite hand. Leave the cuff
down.
3. Using the practically gloved hand, slide the fingers into the
outer side of the opposite glove cuff.
4. Slide the hand into the glove and unroll the cuff. Do not
touch the bare arm as the cuff is unrolled.
5. With the gloved hand, slide the fingers under the outside
edge of the opposite cuff and unroll it gently, using the
same technique.
Degloving (Removing the Gloves):-
The cuffs of the gloves usually tum down as the
gown is pulled off the arms. A glove-to-glove, then skin-
to-skin technique is used to protect the clean hands
from the contaminated outside of the gloves. The gloves
should be removed so that the bare skin does not come
into contact with the outside of the soiled gloves.
 Procedure:-
1. Grasp the cuff of the left glove with the gloved fingers of
the right hand and pull it off inside out.

2. Slip the ungloved fingers of the left hand under the cuff of the
right glove or vice versa and slip it off inside out.

3. Discard the gloves in an appropriate receptacle.

4. Wash hands.
 Cautions using the Gloves
• Be aware that sharp objects can puncture medical gloves.
• •Always change your gloves if they rip or tear.
• •After removing gloves, wash your hands thoroughly with
soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub.
• •Never reuse medical gloves.
• •Never wash or disinfect medical gloves.
• •Never share medical gloves with other users.
 Do’s and Don’ts of Glove Use
• Work Opportunities from “clean to dirty”
• for “touch contamination” -
protect yourself, others, and the environment
– Don’t touch your face or adjust PPE with contaminated
gloves
– Don’t touch environmental surfaces except as necessary
during patient care
 When to do Double gloving
• For some surgical work eg,
orthopaedic or dentistry,
where additional physical
protection may be needed,
double gloving, the use of
glove liners or of knitted or
steel weave outer gloves
may be appropriate and are
proven to be beneficial.
 Allergies with Gloves
• Latex allergies are becoming common with
prolonged use of latex gloves, and the use of nitrile
or vinyl gloves is recommended to avoid becoming
sensitised. It is recognised, however, that within
certain work environments, latex gloves are still
used in large numbers due to their efficacy and
relatively low cost.
 Hand hygiene and disposable gloves
• It is important to remember that glove use is not a replacement
for effective hand washing, and the two should work together to
protect the wearer and others, such as a patient or client being
treated. Key requirements are:
• When using disposable type gloves, your hands should be washed
and dried thoroughly before putting the gloves on;
• Where client or patient treatments are involved, a fresh pair of
disposable examination-style gloves must be worn for each
procedure and must be disposed of between procedures to avoid
cross-infection. Never wash and reuse disposable gloves;
 Gloving is not Replacement for Hand Washing
We should not forget Hand Washing is great step in prevention of
spread of Infectious diseases
• If you work anywhere in the health care industry, you are likely
aware of the importance of performing proper hand hygiene and
glove use to reduce the spread of infectious organisms.
• In the “Five Moments for Hand Hygiene” as outlined by the World
Health Organization (WHO,) the first “moment” for performing
hand hygiene is Before Patient Contact.
• But is this step really necessary, especially when you are about to
don a pair of gloves before touching the patient?
 Gloving is not Replacement for Hand Washing
We should not forget Hand Washing is great step in
prevention of spread of Infectious diseases
Hand Hygiene and Disposable gloves
• If you need to stop work temporarily, eg to answer a phone,
always remove and discard the gloves you are wearing and
replace them when you continue working;
• Always wash your hands after glove removal - gloves are not a
replacement for hand washing; and,
• Moisturising hand cream, applied after hand washing, can help
prevent skin drying after frequent washing. Such products
should never be relied upon as a physical barrier to protect the
skin from infection.
 References
• The use of gloves Health and safety executive
internet resource
• Guidance for the Selection and Use of Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) in Healthcare
Settings CDC resource
• Medical Gloves FDA
• Wikipedia on Gloves