Donning Gloves Using the Sliding-Closed Technique Has a Larger Distance to Contamination at the Gown-Glove Interface

Background

The surgical gown-glove interface is a known cause of bacterial contamination. Minimizing contamination from this interface can be achieved by optimizing the technique for donning gloves with the help of a sterile assistant. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of contamination of the inside of the glove cuff when employing a novel sliding-closed (SC) gloving technique vs a traditional open gloving technique.

Methods

We conducted a comparative study between a traditional open gloving technique and a novel SC gloving technique. Surgeons applied ultraviolet indicator lotion before donning a surgical gown and sterile gloves using either technique. Three surgeons were experienced with the SC technique and 3 surgeons had no experience with this technique. Contamination of each glove was analyzed by 2 blinded inspectors in a darkened room by measuring the distance from the cuff to the closest contamination.

Results

Regardless of previous experience, the SC technique had a significantly greater distance to contamination compared to the open technique (open = 65 mm [interquartile range 46.3-98.8], SC = 150 mm [interquartile range 110-170], P ≤ 0.001). Surgeons with experience using the SC technique had a greater median distance to contamination (125 mm) than those who without experience with this technique (90 mm, P = .002).

Conclusions

Performing the SC-assisted gloving technique results in a significantly greater cuff to contamination distance, compared to the traditional open gloving technique. Surgeons should consider adopting this technique to help minimize infection risk alongside standard infection control measures.