When you take off your gloves, you want to make sure that you do it in a way that does not cross contaminate yourself or the patient. The glove-to-glove skin-to-skin technique is the best way to do this. Make sure that you avoid touching your bare skin, and always wash your hands thoroughly when you are done!
Table of Contents
- How to take Hygienic Care of Your Hands With Gloves?
- What is a Cross-Contamination and how one can avoid it?
- Two Safety Gloves Removal Techniques: the Glove-To-Glove and Bird-Beak techniques
- Taking Off a Pair of Gloves in The Glove-To-Glove Technique in 6 Steps
- Taking Off a Pair of Gloves in The Bird-Beak Glove Removal Technique in 6 Steps
- Washing Your Hands After Removing Gloves
- Conclusions
How to Take Hygienic Care of Your Hands With Gloves?
Gloves are required for keeping patients, clients, and staff safe for everyone from healthcare experts to food service employees. Gloves are an easy and simple method to keep your hands clean whenever you come into contact with objects, surfaces, or liquids. Wearing gloves are not only for your safety but also to protect the patient you are handling.
Medic gloves are designed to be worn on the hands and fingers. If you remove them incorrectly, you risk spreading germs and germs on your hands, which defeats the purpose of keeping your hands clean and protected.
What is a Cross-Contamination and how one can avoid it?
Cross-contamination is the act of transferring dangerous bacteria or viruses from one surface to another. It can occur when you touch something contaminated and then touch your face, eyes, or mouth.
You can avoid cross-contamination by:
- Washing your hands regularly
- Not touching your face
- Wearing gloves when handling contaminated surfaces
- Disinfecting surfaces regularly
Touching contaminated surfaces and items, such as food or equipment, to your skin or other essential things you use, such as your PPE (mask), phone, wallet, keys, and so on. After touching these objects with your gloves against the gas nozzle, groceries, equipment, etc., contamination and spread of germs and bacteria can occur by touching them. However, you can avoid a lot of trouble by following the guidance carefully and safely.
Two Safety Gloves Removal Techniques: the Glove-To-Glove and Bird-Beak techniques
If you must remove your gloves, there is a specific way to do so without contaminating your hands. There are two techniques endorsed by the CDC for taking off gloves safely, they are:
- the glove-to-glove technique
- the bird-beak technique
This means that you should only touch the outside of the glove with the opposite glove. Do not touch your bare skin at any point during the process as this will contaminate your hands.
Taking Off a Pair of Gloves in The Glove-To-Glove Technique in 6 Steps
There are many benefits to wearing gloves, but it is important to know how to take them off properly in order to avoid contamination.
- Pinch the glove at the base of your fingers near your palm.
- Peel the glove away from your hand, turning it inside out as you go.
- Hold on to the glove that is now inside out with the other glove.
- Slide your fingers out of the glove that is now inside out.
- Reverse the process for the second glove.
- Throw away both gloves in a designated bin.
Taking Off a Pair of Gloves in The Bird-Beak Glove Removal Technique in 6 Steps
The bird-beak glove removal technique is an alternative method for removing gloves that does not require you to touch the outside of the glove with your bare hands.
To remove gloves using the bird-beak technique:
- Pinch the glove at the base of your fingers near your palm.
- Peel the glove away from your hand, turning it inside out as you go.
- Hold on to the glove that is now inside out with the other glove.
- Use the beak of the second glove to slide off the first glove.
- Reverse the process for the second glove.
- Throw away both gloves in a designated bin.
By following these steps, you can avoid cross-contamination and keep yourself and those around you safe. Do not forget to wash your hands thoroughly after removing your gloves!
Washing Your Hands After Removing Gloves
Always wash your hands after removing gloves and before touching any objects or surfaces. If you are handling food, make sure to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If you are in a healthcare setting, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content.
Conclusions
Wearing gloves is an effective way to keep your hands clean and prevent the spread of germs. However, it is important to know how to take them off properly in order to avoid cross-contamination. By following the glove-to-glove, skin-to-skin technique and washing your hands thoroughly after removing your gloves, you can help keep yourself and those around you safe from harmful bacteria and viruses.
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