Sterile Technique For Donning Gloves

If you work in the medical field or around bodily fluids and hazardous materials, it is critical that you understand the proper way to protect yourself and the people you are working around. For this reason, most places where bacteria or other harmful substances can be found require that you wear gloves. If you must don sterile gloves, you need to know how to properly do so.

Proper Sterile Technique

• Donning sterile gloves is not a simple matter of putting one glove on, then the other. You need to be conscious of what you are doing so you do not contaminate them. Gloves that are not sterile can carry bacteria and other harmful substances that may infect you, your patient or client.

  The first step is to properly wash your hands with soap and warm water. Wash all the way up to your elbows. Ensure that plenty of soap is used. Keep your hands running under the water for at least 10 to 15 seconds (longer is better). Once your hands are clean, thoroughly dry them with a clean towel.

  Next, carefully inspect the package of sterile gloves. According to medtrng.com, you are looking for any signs of moisture, holes or other imperfections on the package. If you notice any of these, discard the gloves, grab a new pair and make sure they do not contain any imperfections.

  To don the gloves, carefully open the package. Use the flap of the package to pick up one of the gloves, open it and slide it onto one of your hands. Be careful not to touch the glove with anything except the sterile package. Then use the package to gently fold over the cuff of the second glove. Gently pinch the cuff with your gloved hand and slide the second glove on. If you did this right, you should not have touched the surface of the gloves with anything except the sterile glove package or the sterile glove.

  Be careful not to touch anything that is unclean with your sterile gloves. If you touch something that is not clean, you will need to repeat this process.