It's easy to take surgical gloves for granted, to not think too much about what they cost, how well they work for you and whether you could do better on both fronts. For example, our online survey found that nearly 1 in 3 facilities hasn't trialed a new glove in the past 3 years. And that less than 1 in 4 buy gloves designed with such skin-friendly features as aloe. Here's a look at our readers' glove purchasing and use trends.

Standardizing and spending
Buying and shelving more than 1 type of the same surgical supply or instrument tends to be a burden to materials management and a drag on your budget. But only one-eighth of survey respondents say their facilities have standardized their surgical gloves under a single brand. More than half stock 2 or 3 brands. Overall, more than half also stock 4 to 6 sizes of gloves.

Many of those who responded to a question about the annual cost of their facility's glove supply confessed that they didn't know how much was spent. Of those who did provide a figure, the average annual expense was $10,000. Most reported that they're satisfied (and hardly anyone is dissatisfied) with the cost, fit and comfort, usability and durability of the gloves they purchase most often.

One layer is enough for the 42.3% who say they rarely or never double-glove for surgery. Another 32.4% say they double-up for every case or for most cases. While glove manufacturers have promoted products treated with moisturizing additives or other skin conditioning ingredients as gentler on the hands that work in the gloves all day, 76.4% of respondents say they don't purchase them.

Latex issues
Manufacturers' representatives have pointed out that, in recent years, the surgical glove market has been increasingly shifting its focus toward synthetic, non-latex products. However, 70.8% of respondents say they still stock latex gloves.

"Most of my staff prefer latex powder-free," says Kristine Bedford, RN, BSN, clinical director of the Endoscopy Center of Marin in Greenbrae, Calif. "But we use the latex-free during GI procedures due to their texture, and if we have a latex-allergy patient, which is not very often."

About half of the respondents say that they, a member of their staff or a patient at their facility has witnessed or experienced the effects of exposure to the potentially allergenic latex proteins contained in latex gloves. While such safety concerns are driving a switch to non-latex gloves — 55.6% say they've sought out latex-free, low-powder, powder-free or de-proteinized materials — their cost has a dampening influence on purchasing decisions, too.

"I would love to convert to all non-latex surgical gloves," says a nurse administrator from a Maryland ASC. "How-ever, the price is prohibitive. We only carry a small supply to use for our latex-allergy patients."

The administrator of an Ohio orthopedic facility agrees. "If latex-free surgical glove prices came down significantly, and were comparable to latex's prices, we would trial them immediately."

Reasons to reconsider
"Research gloves at least once annually," recommends Beverly Kirchner, RN, BSN, CNOR, CASC, president of Genesee Associates in Highland Village, Texas. "Watch for product changes that make gloves safer."

About two-thirds (67.6%) of respondents say their facilities have conducted a surgical glove trial within the past 3 years, but for the remaining one-third it's been longer than that, if at all. Three-fourths aren't planning to trial new glove products, standardize their inventories or add another type to their inventory in the next 12 months, but that's not to say there's nothing that could make them change their minds, and their gloves.

By a large margin, the factor that most respondents say could encourage them to trial (and potentially purchase) a new glove was the promise of a better deal on pricing, as long as the quality and feel of the glove they were switching to was equal or superior to that of the gloves they'd been using. The appeal of a demonstrably more durable product was also mentioned in a number of responses, including those who are still seeking an ideal solution. "Durability needs to improve drastically for healthcare workers' safety," says Stephanie Husted, RN, MSN, CNOR, administrator of Physicians' Surgery Center in Prairie Village, Kan.

Several administrators say they wouldn't be likely to make a change in glove inventory without physicians' fingers pointing the way, by expressing a preference for a more comfortable, better fitting product or complaining about the declining quality of the gloves the facility's been receiving. Of course, organizing a trial might be necessary if the types of gloves a facility regularly orders are unavailable or have been discontinued, or if a change in group purchasing organization affiliation or purchasing contracts occurs.

The end result may be financially advantageous, through the standardizing of your inventory or a re-evaluation and re-negotiation of a standing order. "We just went through a glove trial in the last year," says Brandy Miller, MSN, RN, CNOR, director of Premier Surgery Center in Fort Wayne, Ind. "We ended up securing bulk pricing for the primarily used glove we have in stock."