Effects of Mucin on the dexterity and tactile sensitivity of medical glove users

The evaluation of medical glove performance has mostly focused on analysing how good a barrier the glove materials are, as well as their durability. Very few studies aim to determine how these gloves affect the performance of the user. This could lead to a lowered ability to carry out tasks, leading to poor healthcare due to diminished sensitivity and dexterity. Furthermore, none of these studies incorporate contaminants to replicate the real-world environments in which medical gloves are used. The work carried out here aims to look at the effects of the bodily fluid mucin on medical glove user's performance. This was assessed via the use of the Purdue Pegboard and Crawford Small Parts Dexterity Test in conjunction with a tactile bump sensitivity test. These tests were carried each in five conditions; bare hand, donned natural rubber latex (NRL) and donned acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (XNBR) gloves – both with and without a 10 mg/ml concentration of porcine gastric mucin applied. The results show that donning gloves decreased dexterity and sensitivity compared to the bare hand. However, mucin was shown to increase dexterity and sensitivity in XNBR, but not with NRL. This is expected to be due to the different ways in which the materials interact with the mucin, affecting the ability to develop a muco-adhesive film and changing the frictional properties of the glove materials.