6 The gloves are off; safer in our hands. Changing glove use at an acute children’s trust

Background

Non-sterile gloves are required to protect healthcare workers against blood and bodily fluids (Loveday et al, 2014). Gloves that are worn to protect the patient should be sterile as non-sterile gloves have been shown to be contaminated with a range of bacteria (Berthelot et al, 2006). The RCN Standards for Infusion Therapy (2016) advised that non-sterile gloves should not be routinely worn for the preparation and...