Nationwide/worldwide shortages of nitrile gloves are becoming increasingly severe. Worse is that the larger sizes (worn by many public safety personnel) are often the least available. Costs are increasing and purchase quantities are limited.
Worse still are seller issues, from outright scams to selling bad or wrong product, such as gloves that have been sitting in storage for many years (sometimes in storage conditions that would be inappropriate even for the short term), to false labeling/advertising (e.g., labeling latex gloves as nitrile, wrong sizes, many other variations). Many of the gloves available even from reputable dealers are not certified to NFPA standards, and the performance standards they meet (29 CFR Parts 170-199) are for food service, not blood borne pathogens (29 CFR 1910.1030).
We suggest that all public safety agencies consider the following:
- Purchase what you can now from reliable suppliers, understanding that product may not ship for many months.
- Explore and purchase cheap gloves that can be worn in appropriate circumstances when there is not a need for the highest-level protection. Such gloves could be worn for “house duties” and other situations.
- Avoid purchasing “non-patient care” type gloves that could be easily confused with current EMS stock. This is becoming more difficult as glove color choices are limited and there may be no clear way to discern which are NFPA compliant medical exam gloves and which are not.
- Consider the purchase of reusable “utility” type gloves for all personnel for routine work around the station, cleaning, etc.
- Provide guidance for personnel on which gloves should be worn in various situations
- Use extreme caution in your purchase processes
- Share messaging with all personnel now around conserving current supplies:
- Do NOT wear gloves when not needed (for example, no likelihood of patient contact). If only one crewmember will be in contact with the patient, other members of the crew can stand back at least six feet and NOT don PPE. For years, we have had every crewmember don PPE before getting off the vehicle. We can no longer afford that luxury. Limiting the number of personnel in close proximity to the patient has the secondary benefit of limiting exposure.
- At the same time, try to avoid mixed messaging. If personnel need to use gloves, they should do so.
- If some glove purchases include latex, ensure that all personnel are aware of that, and be sure that there are alternatives for personnel with latex allergies or sensitivities
- Latex gloves should be a last resort for patient care activities
- We must conserve gloves if we are to have adequate supplies for the near future. Conserve gloves now as we did with masks earlier in the pandemic: only wearing the level of PPE indicated for the given situation, meaning gloves for personnel giving care or in close proximity.
You can find additional information on glove conservation at these sites:
- https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/letters-health-care-providers/medical-glove-conservation-strategies-letter-health-care-providers
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/gloves.html
- https://mms.mckesson.com/content/coronavirus-update/covid-19-recommendations/glove-conservation-strategies-covid-19/