Medical Procedures That Don't Require You to Wear Gloves

There are very few medical procedures that can be conducted without the use of protective gear and clothing on the part of the medical personnel. This is to protect the patient as well as the medical crew. Gloves are almost always necessary, but there are a few cases where a medical procedure may be safely carried out without them.

Imaging

• When medical personnel take x-rays or an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), they must position the body in a certain way and then take a picture with a machine. No gloves are necessary for this procedure.

Administering an Asthma Inhaler

• Giving someone asthma medication can be done without gloves. The procedure involves holding the inhaler and instructing the patient to exhale all his air. You then insert the inhaler in his mouth and instruct the patient to breathe deeply.

Epinephrine Auto Injection

• A severe allergic reaction requires a shot of epinephrine to constrict swelling blood vessels. People who are prone to such intense allergies should be carrying a kit with an epinephrine auto injector on their person. Because the auto injector can be administered by removing the cap and swiftly jabbing it into the upper thigh even through clothing, gloves do not need to be worn.

Administering Activated Charcoal

• When someone swallows a poison that must be absorbed quickly before it can enter the bloodstream, medical personnel will often give the patient a liquid charcoal mix to drink. The charcoal bonds to many toxic substances and renders the poison unable to be absorbed by the body. Gloves are not necessary.

Staining the Eyes

• Fluorescein is a florescent stain used in conjunction with a cobalt blue light in a doctor's office to identify corneal abrasions in the eye. The fluorescein floods the eye and fills in any scratches or damaged areas of the eye, so when the blue light is shined on it the damaged areas will glow. Gloves are not required to administer the fluorescein drops.