Examination Gloves as Barriers to Hand Contamination in Clinical Practice

Under conditions of routine use, gloves effectively function as a protective barrier even when leaks are present and quantitative counts of microorganisms contaminating hands were 2 to 4 logs less than counts on external glove surfaces.

Abstract

Under conditions of routine use, gloves effectively function as a protective barrier even when leaks are present. Latex gloves were less frequently associated with leaks and hand contamination. Since hand contamination occurred after 13% of exposures and cannot be readily identified by health care workers, routine hand washing should be done after each patient contact.