CHALLENGES TO IMPLEMENTATION
Ingrained habits can be hard to change
Tradition and training die hard. While multiple studies in several settings have found nonsterile gloves to be noninferior to sterile gloves in preventing surgical site infection after minor skin surgeries, this single study in the primary care office setting may not be enough to sway clinicians from ingrained habits.
REFERENCES
1. Heal C, Sriharan S, Buttner PG, et al. Comparing non-sterile to sterile gloves for minor surgery: a prospective randomized controlled non-inferiority trial. Med J Aust. 2015;202:27-31.
2. Perelman VS, Francis GJ, Rutledge T, et al. Sterile versus nonsterile gloves for repair of uncomplicated lacerations in the emergency department: a randomized controlled trial. Ann Emerg Med. 2004;43:362-370.
3. Mehta D, Chambers N, Adams B, et al. Comparison of the prevalence of surgical site infection with use of sterile versus nonsterile gloves for resection and reconstruction during Mohs surgery. Dermatol Surg. 2014;40: 234-239.
4. Xia Y, Cho S, Greenway HT, et al. Infection rates of wound repairs during Mohs micrographic surgery using sterile versus nonsterile gloves: a prospective randomized pilot study. Dermatol Surg. 2011;37:651-656.
5. Mangram AJ, Horan TC, Pearson ML, et al. Guideline for prevention of surgical site infection, 1999. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. Am J Infect Control. 1999;27:97-132.
6. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Surgical site infection: prevention and treatment of surgical site infection. www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg74/chapter/1-recommendations. Accessed November 17, 2015.
7. National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare (2010). www.nhmrc.gov.au/book/html-australian-guideline-sprevention-and-control-infection-healthcare-2010. Accessed November 17, 2015.
8. American Academy of Dermatology. Clinical guidelines. www.aad.org/education/clinical-guidelines. Accessed November 17, 2015.
9. Zuber TJ. Fusiform excision. Am Fam Physician. 2003;67:1539-1544.
10. Heal C, Buettner P, Browning S. Risk factors for wound infection after minor surgery in general practice. Med J Aust. 2006;18:255-258.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The PURLs Surveillance System was supported in part by Grant Number UL1RR024999 from the National Center For Research Resources, a Clinical Translational Science Award to the University of Chicago. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center For Research Resources or the National Institutes of Health.
Copyright © 2015. The Family Physicians Inquiries Network. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission from the Family Physicians Inquiries Network and The Journal of Family Practice. 2015;64(11):723-724, 727.