Infection prevention
Essential insights into glove use in theatres
Susana de Almeida provides an insight into safe glove use within the operating theatre – addressing critical issues such as proper donning and doffing techniques, sustainability, contamination prevention, and staff protection. Understanding best practice will help theatre teams to maintain the highest standards of safety.
In the challenging and meticulous environment of an operating theatre, every action and decision will have a direct impact on patient safety. Careful attention to detail and safety measures are paramount for ensuring successful surgical outcomes. Among the many precautions taken to ensure safe surgical procedures, the proper use of gloves is of vital importance. Numerous clinical studies have validated the effectiveness of gloves in preventing contamination of healthcare workers’ hands and reducing the transmission of pathogens in healthcare settings. However, it is important for healthcare workers to understand that gloves do not offer complete protection against hand contamination. Pathogens can reach caregivers’ hands through small defects in the gloves or during the process of removing gloves. Therefore, practising hand hygiene, either by rubbing or washing, remains essential to ensure hand decontamination after gloves are removed. Surgical hand antisepsis and use of personal
protective equipment, such as sterile protective gloves, are the two key methods for the prevention of surgical site infections (SSIs). This article will examine the fundamentals of
glove use in the operating theatre, highlighting what surgical teams need to know to ensure safe and effective practices.
Importance of glove use in the operating theatre Gloves play a crucial role in preventing the spread of infections and in protecting both patients and healthcare professionals. In the operating theatre, where there is exposure to blood, bodily fluids, and sharp instruments, the proper use of gloves is essential to reduce the risk of cross-contamination and healthcare- associated infections (HCAIs). As HCAIs increase morbidity and mortality, prolong hospitalisations, and exacerbate the
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pressure for the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through increased antibiotic use, they consequently escalate healthcare costs (WHO, 2015). According to the Point Prevalence Survey conducted in 2022-2023 by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, HCAIs remain a significant public health issue, with a prevalence of 7.1%. Estimating approximately 4.3 million patients with at least one HCAI and 4.8 million HCAIs (infection episodes) per year in the period 2022 to 2023 in acute care hospitals in the EU/EEA.1 The invasive nature of surgical procedures,
characterised by heightened exposure to blood, entails a significant risk of pathogen transmission. Such pathogens can potentially transfer through contact between surgical patients and the operating team, leading to post-operative infections in patients or bloodborne infections among the surgical team. It is imperative to safeguard both patients and the surgical team from this risk. Implementing protective measures, such as the use of appropriate gloves for the procedures, serves to
mitigate this risk effectively.2 Operating theatre teams must possess
comprehensive knowledge of glove use to navigate through various challenges and mitigate potential risks effectively. In this article, we aim to delve into the key issues that require their attention.
Donning and doffing Surgical gowning and gloving are crucial components of perioperative practice, performed by members of the anaesthetic and surgical teams during a perioperative intervention or procedure. This process occurs immediately following surgical hand antisepsis and is commonly referred to as scrubbing, gowning, and gloving. In operating rooms, as in any type of medical procedure, it is very important to use the appropriate type of gloves and use them appropriately in accordance with the protocols. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), gloves effectively prevent contamination of healthcare professional’s hands and
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