When to Wear Protective Gloves
February 8, 2012
Your phlebotomy training would have undoubtedly emphasized that it was mandatory to wear gloves during any blood draw. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) made this procedure mandatory as far back as 1991 yet, there are still facilities throughout the United States that do not maintain complete compliance with glove use. In fact not only is glove use mandated for every venipuncture but also in any situation where an employee may come in contact with blood or other infectious agents. In some cases although the phlebotomy technician does put gloves on for every blood draw he/she cuts a portion of a fingertip off in order to palpate when looking for a vein.
Some of the reasons that phlebotomists give as to why they do not always wear gloves are:
- Questioning the protection that gloves actually provide
- Difficulty in finding veins
- Not fully understanding the dangers of pathogens
- Strong dislike for the types of gloves available to them
Since the intent of OSHA’s glove use is to provide employees personal protection, those that rip the fingertip off are not in compliance and do pose a safety hazard to themselves, other workers as well as their patients. Looking more closely at the compliance standard, the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) does state that gloves are to be put on after selection of a site and prior to preparation of the site. The exception to this of course is in cases where blood is being drawn from a patient in isolation.
Viewing these facts makes it very clear that there is no need to rip the fingertips off gloves when selecting a draw site since they can be put on immediately afterwards. Following these procedures will allow all phlebotomists to be in 100% compliance with existing regulations. It will also provide the level of protection that is mandated by OSHA and CLSI.
Phlebotomy schools that insist on glove use with their students go a long way in helping them form a lifelong habit of wearing gloves. The possible repercussions of coming into contact with pathogens can be devastating and in many cases lead to fatal conditions for both the patient and the phlebotomist.
Search Related:
- phlebotomist not wearing gloves
- gloves and phlebotomist
- not wearing gloves
Comments
Phlebotomy Schools
February 22, 2012