In this article, we we explain about why disposable gloves are important in your first aid kit.
Have you ever encounter an injury that is so severe that it should be treated at the hospital? What happens when the injury needs to be treated right away but it takes some times to reach hospital?
Even a small cut could be detrimental for a person if its not properly cleansed , as the wound can be contaminated with germs present from the environment or from the skin itself.
So, what should you do before the ambulance arrives at your place? You should immediately look for a first aid kit so that you can mitigate the wound.
There are various tools that you can use in order to treat those wounds, but there is one tool that is sometimes neglected by several people which are disposable gloves.
What are disposable gloves?
Disposable gloves is one of many types of uses of gloves in first aid which its purpose is a short one as its name implies. It should be used for one time only and then to be thrown away.
They are either made of latex or vinyl. So, if you or the patient is allergic to latex, you should wear one made of vinyl or non-latex.
You may ask why do you want to buy the gloves when they are meant to be used once? Let’s find out 3 reasons why disposable gloves are important in your first aid kit.
1. Protect Yourself
What is the main thing that you need to prioritize when you want to save someone? Alwayst protect yourself first. It may seem like it is overdramatic, but it is not.
You never know what kind of disease the person you are treating is having. They might have blood transmitted diseases or bacteria/viruses in them.
Surely, the last thing you want is to get infected by them and unintentionally spread it to others. Disposable gloves will at least help to protect you from getting infected, especially when you are tending a heavily bleeding victim.
2. Protect the Patient
When the disposable gloves are meant to protect you, how about the patient? Yes it does protect the patient too. But how is it possible when you are the one who is wearing it?
Are you aware that our hand contains thousands of normal flora or germs that may cause infections to the patient. In normal situations, these germs sit on our skin and not cause any harm as they can not enter the skin.
However, in a situation where our skin integrity is breached, these germs can enter the bloodstream and cause unwanted effects to our body. We surely do not want to be the cause of infection to our victim.This is where gloves play an important role to protect the victim.
Some may argue that they can just clean their hands or disinfect it, but in a dire and panic situation, wearing a glove is much faster than using disinfectant to sanitize your hand.
3. Reduce The Risk Of infection
As you may have realized by now, the fundamental reason of its importance is its ability to reduce risk of infection.
There are two types of medical disposable gloves, sterile and non-sterile.Sterile gloves have been treated with either ethylene oxide or gamma radiation to eliminate all microbes. They’re used for surgical procedures and come in individually wrapped packing.
The most important time to wear sterile gloves is when there will be contact with blood, bodily fluids, mucous membranes, non-intact skin, or possibly infectious substances. Applying sterile gloves properly will protect you and others.
Non-sterile gloves, also called medical or examination gloves, are also highly regulated by the authority and need certification to be used in medical settings. Their primary job is to act as a physical barrier for germs.
They stop any pathogens on a patient or medical professional from transmitting between individuals. As they are not individually packed, there is no guarantee that they are totally free from germs.
Those are the three reasons why disposable gloves are important in your first aid kit. If your company’s first aid kit does not have one, buy some for the safety of your employees. You can buy one through this link or WhatsApp us for any help or consultation.
