LAUSR

Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids presents a major safety risk for bloodborne viruses to all health care workers (HCWs). In response to human immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV), various strategies were adopted to reduce this risk.1 The most important and cost-effective strategy was the introduction of gloves as part of personal protective equipment (PPE) for all potential or expected exposures to blood and body fluid.1 The term gloves in this report refer to nonsterile, medical, and examination gloves. Today, the aim of glove use is for the protection of both the care provider and the patient.2 However, the indications for glove use are now broader than the original intention, with some contemporary authors raising concerns that gloves have inadvertently affected hand hygiene practice before3-5 and after the introduction of My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene.2-6 In this article we present a historical overview of glove use to explain the changes in the pattern of use over time and call for a safe reduction of glove use to improve hand hygiene practice.