Although they said they are “very concerned” about the need to double-glove as a means of protection against potential exposure to blood and body fluids during surgery, operating room nurses at the recent congress of theAssociation of PeriOperative Registered Nurses(AORN; Denver) in New Orleans report they only double-glove 42% of the time that they think they should.

In a random sample of about 1,500 OR nurses at the congress, Regent Medical (Norcross, Georgia) – which bills itself as “committed to the science of protection for healthcare professionals” – asked about double-gloving issues.

One-fourth, or 24%, of operating room nurses responding to the survey indicated that they currently double-glove during 100% of their surgical cases; 26% of respondents said they only double-glove during 10% of their cases; however, 41% said they feel they should double-glove in 100% of their cases.

When asked how concerned they are about the need to double-glove, 47% reported that they are “very concerned,” and 30% said they were “somewhat concerned.”