1. Gloves are now an everyday part of clinical practice. There are two main indicators for wearing gloves in the clinical setting:

• to protect the hands from contamination with organic matter and micro-organisms;

• to reduce the risk of transmitting microorganisms to both patients and staff.

2. Even if a student is required to wear gloves this does not replace the need for cleaning one’s hands.

3. Gloves must be worn for:

     - all invasive procedures;

     - contact with sterile sites;

     - contact with non-intact skin or mucous membranes;

     - all activities assessed as having a risk of exposure to blood, bodily fluids, secretions and excretions, and handling sharps or contaminated instruments.

4. Gloves should be worn only once and should be put on immediately before the care activity, removed immediately afterwards and changed between patients and  pisodes of care;

5. Gloves must be disposed of as clinical waste and hands must be decontaminated by washing appropriately.