A question for the paramedics

[Papazita]

I know there's at least one or two that frequent OT...

An ambulance just pulled up across the street from my place. The 3 guys on the crew get out, already wearing their rubber gloves, and grab their gear out of the side lockers.

My question is, shouldn't the gloves be put on immediately before assisting someone, rather than on the drive over? I mean, they're not exaclty going to be clean and/or sterile after touching everything inside the cab, the outside of the ambulance, the equipment, door, stair railings, etc.
Or is that, in an emergency, every second counts, so the gloves go on as soon as possible, risk of infection or not?

[i_got_a_mohawk]

The gloves, while mutually benificial, are a priority for the crew (I'd think). I know that whenever handling human tissues/samples you should approach it as if the sample is contaminated with HIV. Though It would make the most sense to stick them on just when they approach the patient.

If the gloves are out of a regular cardboard box, like most of them are, then I wouldn't say they are sterile, should have a spray down with some ethanol or similar first.

Not a paramedic though, just some observations/comments really.

[Spector_Ray]

Originally Posted by Papazita

I know there's at least one or two that frequent OT...

An ambulance just pulled up across the street from my place. The 3 guys on the crew get out, already wearing their rubber gloves, and grab their gear out of the side lockers.

My question is, shouldn't the gloves be put on immediately before assisting someone, rather than on the drive over? I mean, they're not exaclty going to be clean and/or sterile after touching everything inside the cab, the outside of the ambulance, the equipment, door, stair railings, etc.
Or is that, in an emergency, every second counts, so the gloves go on as soon as possible, risk of infection or not?

The gloves are for the protection of the EMTs and every second counts.

[Steve]

The gloves protect the Medic, not the patient.

They're not sterile out of the box.

If you have to do a sterile procedure in the field like oh, suctioning out an airway, there are sterile gloves on the ambulance for that.

[8guy]

As a former EMT, Think of the rubber gloves as hand condoms. They are there to protct the person providing help from anything nasty in the patients bodily fluid.

[HeavyDuty]

BSI!

[Grizzly700]

Originally Posted by 8guy

As a former EMT, Think of the rubber gloves as hand condoms. They are there to protct the person providing help from anything nasty in the patients bodily fluid.

That's not really a good example. Condoms are to keep stuff in, rubber gloves are to keep stuff out.

[Spector_Ray]

Originally Posted by Grizzly700

That's not really a good example. Condoms are to keep stuff in, rubber gloves are to keep stuff out.

Condoms also keep stuff out.

[warnergt]

I used to wonder the same thing at my dentist office. They wear gloves but they handle the same equipment (lights, etc.) that they handle with other patients. In recent years, however, I noticed that they put plastic on the equipment, too.

[Spector_Ray]

Originally Posted by warnergt

I used to wonder the same thing at my dentist office. They wear gloves but they handle the same equipment (lights, etc.) that they handle with other patients. In recent years, however, I noticed that they put plastic on the equipment, too.

The equipment gets bleached or disinfected with some other solution after each patient. Even with the plastic, it gets wiped down.

[rcarraher]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

The gloves, while mutually benificial, are a priority for the crew (I'd think). I know that whenever handling human tissues/samples you should approach it as if the sample is contaminated with HIV. Though It would make the most sense to stick them on just when they approach the patient.

If the gloves are out of a regular cardboard box, like most of them are, then I wouldn't say they are sterile, should have a spray down with some ethanol or similar first.

Not a paramedic though, just some observations/comments really.

They are there to protect the wearer, not the patient. Kind of like side arms on cops.

[guitar ed]

And while the gloves might not be sterile, they are still cleaner than bare hands.

edg

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by rcarraher

They are there to protect the wearer, not the patient. Kind of like side arms on cops.

I was pretty sure, but, Im not an EMT, just have handled various mammalian cells/tissues through the years and that was always the way we had to look at it.

[benthughes]

I love this! I rarely glove up before contacting a patient, nitrile breaks down quickly with body heat and before you know it, holes! There is no such thing as sterile in the prehospital setting, you can only be "clean".

Often people don't disinfect surfaces in the ambulance properly. All those bags they're dragging into houses, they've dragged into several houses before that. In and out of houses and hospitals, their gloved hands all over that gear then all over you. My favorite is when I see people finishing paperwork, cleaning duties ect. with the same gloves they were treating the patient with. Pen goes in the mouth in a pensive moment.

I keep "clean" gloves in my flight suit pocket and put them on when I need them. BTW..... you're allowed to touch people without gloves on.

[Ericman197]

Like everyone is saying, it's to protect the wearer.

As a society I think we've taken a drastic swing from total ignorance of germs (ie: medical practice with nonsterile equipment), to germphobia today. Washing your hands is all good and well after going to the bathroom or before preparing food, but you don't need to disinfect every surface you come in contact with.

If you're talking about someone with open wounds, then you need to be concerned about infection (let alone if the person is HIV+).

If you're talking about a guy having a heart attack, the priority is to get him to the hospital ASAP. Whether the paramedics' gloves are absolutely sterile really isn't the biggest concern.

[taquitos43]

Originally Posted by benthughes

BTW..... you're allowed to touch people without gloves on.

Not in my department, you aren't. Our department SOP dictates that we will wear gloves for EVERY patient.

[blueskid]

Originally Posted by benthughes

I love this! I rarely glove up before contacting a patient, nitrile breaks down quickly with body heat and before you know it, holes! There is no such thing as sterile in the prehospital setting, you can only be "clean".

i'm glad that you guys use nitrile. the other day when the emts came rushing into the house all but one or two already had on latex gloves. i was lucky that there were people there who could tell them that i'm allergic to latex...it would have sucked if they grabbed my arm to read my medic id jewelry to find out

[i_got_a_mohawk]

People are swaying away from Latex because of allergies and the fact that they aren't the best forms of protection (plenty can pass through).