Use of Double Gloving to Reduce Surgical Personnel's Risk of Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens: An Integrative Review

Surgical team members are known to have a higher incidence of percutaneous injuries compared with other health care workers, which increases surgical personnel's risk both of exposure to bloodborne pathogens and acquiring bloodborne illnesses. The purpose of this integrative review was to determine whether double gloving reduces the surgical team member's risk of percutaneous injury when compared with single gloving. Factors addressed are double gloving versus single gloving, use of an indicator glove system, optimum levels of protection, and policies and procedures to facilitate compliance with double gloving. Evidence supports the use of double gloving and double gloving with an indicator glove system to decrease the risk of percutaneous injury and therefore is an effective barrier to bloodborne pathogen exposure. Perioperative managers and educators should develop educational methods to support double-gloving compliance; monitor and conduct periodic audits to evaluate compliance; and review and revise quality improvement strategies as necessary to protect surgical employees from percutaneous injuries.