(Photo by Ani Kolleshi from Unsplash)
Gloves are included in personal protective equipment that protects the hands from getting in direct contact with body fluids, urine, vomit, blood, mucous membrane, bodily tissues, chemicals, raw meat juices, and other harmful substances and prevents their transfer. It lowers the potential risks of cross-contamination and the spreading of bacteria, germs, and viruses.
Hence, the exterior of the gloves might get contaminated or contain harmful substances. That’s why removing them randomly without proper care or technique can cause more harm than good.
Learn how to remove gloves properly to prevent contaminating yourself, spreading diseases, and damaging your skin. Just like washing your hands before wearing clean gloves, it is also important to learn how to remove gloves properly.
Let’s find out how!
Importance of proper glove removal
When you wear sterile disposable gloves, you wash your hands, sterilize your hands, and carefully wear your gloves. This is necessary to ensure your client or patient doesn’t get contaminated. It is also important that you show proper care when taking gloves off. Knowing how to remove gloves the right way prevents contaminating yourself.
Many healthcare workers and professionals are exposed to harmful substances, pathogens, and bodily fluids. They can get contaminated and spread diseases without proper glove removal techniques and hand hygiene.
Steps for removing gloves safely
Protecting your clients and patients by wearing gloves carefully is not enough. You also need to protect yourself from getting contaminated. To help you out, here are the steps on how to remove gloves properly:
Grasp The Outside
While still wearing gloves, grasp the outside of one gloved hand on the top of your wrist. The non-dominant hand is usually used for this step. Be careful not to pinch yourself or get in contact with your bare skin, scrubs, or arm.
Peel Off
Peel the disposable gloves away from your body, wrist, and fingers. The disposable gloves will be inside out, and that’s what you want. It should be in a ball shape. The interior, which is disinfected, will be exposed. This is for safety and sanitation purposes.
Hold
Hold the removed disposable glove in your palm with your other gloved hand.
Insert And Peel Off
Insert your ungloved hand inside the second glove at the top of your wrist. Be careful not to get in contact with the exterior of the disposable glove.
Inside Out
Peel the second glove away from yourself while still holding the first glove. Turn the second glove inside out. The first glove will be strapped inside the second glove. This makes disposable safer and easier.
Disposal
Dispose of used gloves properly. Throw disposable gloves in the right garbage bin to make sure they are handled the right way, and no one will reuse them.
Always throw your used gloves in the biohazard bin or container. If there are no biohazard bags near you, place contaminated disposable gloves in a sealed, leak-proof container or sturdy plastic bag. Make sure to seal them properly to decrease potential risks of spreading or contamination.
Suppose you are working in a medical, food, or health-related establishment. In that case, there are specific policies that you need to follow for the proper disposal of contaminated gloves, scrubs, and other materials. Always check your company policy.
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Wash Your Hands
Don’t touch any surface or objects. This can spread bacteria, germs, and viruses. Wash your hands using clean soap and water immediately after taking your gloves off.
Precautions to take while removing gloves
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Cross-contamination is the main issue when you don’t know how to remove gloves properly. In addition, those people who handle chemicals are exposed to harmful and strong substances. When the exterior part of the disposable gloves gets in contact with bare skin, it can cause an allergic reaction or chemical burns. Also, when you handle raw meat such as chicken, you need to take off your gloves properly to prevent contaminating yourself and your other ingredients.
Here are a few precautions and reminders you need to keep in mind when taking gloves off.
Presence of Mind
When people are tired and taking off gloves, some people tend to not pay attention to what they are doing. In this case, taking gloves off is very important to prevent contaminating yourself.
That’s why it is important to have a presence of mind and pay attention to what you are doing, especially when handling contaminated materials like your used disposable gloves.
Never Snap
Disposable gloves are elastic and should fit your hands properly. Wearing the right size of gloves is important to prevent contamination, ensure dexterity and comfort, and prevent accidents and injuries.
However, disposable gloves, like nitrile gloves, latex gloves, and vinyl gloves, tend to be elastic. They are prone to snapping, which can cause spray and spread of pathogens in the air, surfaces, objects, and on yourself.
Never snap your disposable gloves when taking off gloves.
Encouragement to follow the outlined steps
Wearing gloves lowers the risks of spreading and transmitting germs, bacteria, and viruses. Disposable gloves are also worn to protect against certain chemicals and harmful substances. Hence, it is important to learn to wear gloves carefully and remove them.
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Remember, wearing gloves might expose you to pathogens or harmful substances and touch surfaces and objects. All of those are stuck on the exterior of your disposable gloves. Without properly sanitizing the exterior part of your gloves, all those pathogens stay there.
That’s why it is very important to learn to remove gloves and follow the above steps. You are protecting yourself from contamination by following the steps and tips in this guide.
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