Disinfection of gloves: feasible, but pay attention to the disinfectant/glove combination

Disinfection of artificially contaminated gloved hands reduces transmission of Staphylococcus epidermidis to catheter valves

“…However, our results do provide additional support for Kampf and Lemmen's 1 conclusion that "disinfection of gloved hands by healthcare workers may substantially reduce the risk of transmission when gloves are indicated for the entire episode of patient care and when performed during multiple activities on the same patient". In addition to this, we also agree with Kampf and Lemmen's recommendation that further research is required to resolve outstanding issues such as the influence of the glove type on specific alcohol formulations, as was demonstrated by Scheithauer et al recently, 7 the influence of such practice on the overall compliance to the principles of hand hygiene, or the practicability and acceptability of glove disinfection in clinical practice.…”

Disinfection of gloved hands during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The disinfection of gloved hands by healthcare professionals can considerably reduce the risk of contagion, when the gloves are designated for the entire patient care process and multiple tasks are carried out on the same patient [ 9 , 18 ]. Specifically, it has been shown that the efficiency of disinfection is greater for different combinations of disinfectants/gloves than for bare hands [ 15 ]. For this reason, choosing an appropriate disinfectant solution for the type of glove used is a fundamental aspect during the disinfection process.…”

“…For this reason, choosing an appropriate disinfectant solution for the type of glove used is a fundamental aspect during the disinfection process. Furthermore, differences in the effectiveness of disinfectant solutions seem to depend on the material that the gloves are composed of [ 15 ]. In this study, it has been observed that the disinfectant solutions that contain alcohol do not interfere in the elongation at break, but they do interfere in the force at break of nitrile gloves.…”

“…One important aspect to consider is that, prior to glove disinfection, it is necessary to check the compatibility of the glove with the disinfecting product before using it [ 9 ]. Two studies have analyzed the integrity of glove material after repeated applications of disinfectant products [ 14 , 15 ]. Specifically, these studies have found that tensile strength decreased with each alcohol-based hand rub, and combinations produce relevant differences in regards to disinfection efficacy.…”

“…Specifically, these studies have found that tensile strength decreased with each alcohol-based hand rub, and combinations produce relevant differences in regards to disinfection efficacy. For this reason, additional studies are required to clarify if the differences found between the various disinfection products used are sufficiently proven to exclude these disinfectant solutions from glove decontamination activities in clinical settings [ 15 ]. Based on the above, the objective of this study was to test the resistance of nitrile gloves with different disinfectant solutions.…”