Vol. 3 No. 9 (2023)
Health Technology Reviews

Nonsterile Glove Use

Published September 12, 2023

Key Messages

  • In acute care settings with low-risk of infection transmission, discontinuing contact precautions (i.e., gloves and gown) may result in similar rates of hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and may lower the risk of hospital-acquired vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), compared to scenarios in which such precautions were employed.
  • Rates of late-onset infections in a neonatal intensive care unit were similar when standard infection control precautions were used compared with universal glove use.
  • Two guidelines recommend that nonsterile gloves should be worn for nonsterile procedures when it is anticipated that there will be contact with blood, body fluids, non-intact skin, mucous membranes, lesions, or hazardous drugs and chemicals; for environmental cleaning; and when contact precautions for infection control are in effect.