Medical gloves are one part of an infection-control strategy.

As medical professionals, your hands may touch someone else’s body fluids (such as blood, respiratory secretions, vomit, urine or feces), certain hazardous drugs or some potentially contaminated items, medical gloves should be used to protect you and/or the patient from the spread of infection or illness.

And the gloves must have a high puncture resistance since most medical professionals work with scalpels, surgical tools and needles.

What you should know before using medical gloves

• Wash your hands before putting on sterile gloves.

• Make sure the gloves fit properly for you and wear them comfortably during all patient care activities.

• Some people are allergic to the natural rubber latex that are used in some medical gloves. If you or your patient is allergic to natural rubber latex, you should choose gloves made from other synthetic materials (such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), nitrile, or polyurethane).

• Be aware that sharp objects that can puncture medical gloves.

• Always change your gloves if they rip or tear.

• After removing gloves, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub.

• Never reuse medical gloves.

• Never wash or disinfect medical gloves.

• Never share medical gloves with other users.