A traveling nurse who visits elderly patients in their homes needs a medical bag filled with the right kinds of supplies. One of those supplies is a box of exam gloves. Exam gloves are disposable and each pair is meant to be utilized on just a single patient. Traveling nurses use these gloves in a variety of ways while serving their elderly patients. Look at some typical examples.
Helping with Blood Sugar Tests
Some traveling nurses must test the blood sugar of their elderly patients who suffer from diabetes. A nurse puts on exam gloves before drawing a patient’s blood and putting it into the blood sugar tester. This protects him or her from coming in contact with the patient’s blood or other bodily fluids. This is especially important if the nurse has any cuts or abrasions on his or her hands. After the test, a nurse can remove the gloves and dispose of them to get rid of any contaminants.
Cleaning Wounds
It is a common practice for traveling nurses to clean wounds resulting from minor injuries suffered by their elderly patients. For instance, an elderly woman may cut her knee on the corner of a coffee table as she navigating her way around it. A traveling nurse will clean the wound and dress it with a bandage. Most traveling nurses put on exam gloves before going about treating a patient’s wounds. The gloves protect both the patient and the nurse. Wearing exam gloves can reduce the chance that an infection will develop in the wound due to exposure to bacteria. Buying wholesale nitrile gloves is one example of how traveling nurses can save money on supplies for their work.
Conducting Simple Exams
A traveling nurse may conduct a simple exam on each patient that he or she visits. The nurse may put on gloves to examine the patient’s skin, to see how an injury is healing or listen to the person’s heart. In addition, a traveling nurse may look into a patient’s mouth to examine his or her throat. Exam gloves can keep a nurse from transmitting particles of bacteria to the patient and vice versa.
Finally, putting on exam gloves is part of the routine of many traveling nurses. Most nurses want to take every precaution they can to protect their patients from infection and illness.