Since the primary reason for wearing medical gloves is for barrier protection one must carefully consider the barrier performance in selecting gloves.
Are vinyl gloves safe for medical use.
Despite its advantages latex gloves have become an issue for many health professionals due to the increasing rate of latex allergies and many are choosing to go with non latex glove options such as vinyl and nitrile gloves instead.
They offer a protective barrier between any contagion that the caregiver may be carrying as well as what the patient may have.
While using vinyl gloves two things to consider include the following.
Vinyl gloves which are made from pvc polyvinyl chloride are usually the cheapest latex free gloves.
Never share medical gloves with other users.
Vinyl gloves are may also be worn for less tactile work but keep in mind that they are usually less durable than latex gloves.
Never wash or disinfect medical gloves.
Never reuse medical gloves.
Medical exam gloves are used to protect the health of the patient and caregiver.
This barrier reduces the risk of infection.
A number of studies suggest that pvc medical gloves are not as robust a barrier to bloodborne pathogens as other gloves.
As medical gloves are single use items glove decontamination and reprocessing are not recommended and should be avoided even if it is common practice in many health care settings with low resources and where glove supply is limited.
Vinyl gloves are also less expensive than nitrile and latex gloves.
Plus it s one of the best options for people with allergies.
At present no standardized validated and affordable procedure for safe glove reprocessing exists.
Nitrile is a great general purpose material that is commonly used for exams especially on patients with latex allergies.
But weston cautions against feeling that gloves will automatically keep you safe.
Medical packaging vinyl gloves are our most popular general purpose glove.
Latex nitrile and vinyl gloves have all been used long lasting and stronger than latex nitrile is a particularly popular choice.
There are three different types of medical gloves in common use latex vinyl and nitrile.