Shortage. It’s a word that we’ve all heard too many times in 2020. From toilet paper, Lysol wipes, to hand sanitizer, people worldwide have experienced shortages of much-needed supplies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. And now, healthcare professionals may face another, more severe shortage – surgical gloves. You may have noticed that most major suppliers of surgical gloves have placed weekly order caps on this highly-sought-after PPE. But we don’t want to leave you in a panic. So, today on the blog, our dental coaches share tips on conserving surgical gloves in your dental practice while continuing to meet OSHA standards.
Often times, dental care professionals resort to using surgical gloves for tasks that do not involve patient care. For instance, taking the trash out, breaking down and disinfecting an operatory, or even for use in the lab. While it’s understandable and necessary to protect yourself when carrying out these duties, there are some alternatives you can put into practice that will save dozens of boxes of surgical gloves for when you really need them!
Use Utility Gloves
Utility gloves are made of nitrile with a cotton interlock liner, able to withstand chemicals, extreme temperatures, and are puncture resistant. These durable gloves can be used for treatment area disinfecting, handling and processing instruments, in the lab, and other cleaning tasks around the office, such as the restrooms or trash removal. Find out how many boxes of surgical gloves you can save when you use utility gloves for the aforementioned tasks instead.
- Use utility gloves in sterilization. This will save about two to four boxes of gloves per day! Remove your glove boxes from sterilization so that no one is tempted to fall back into old habits.
- Use utility gloves or over gloves to break down your treatment rooms. This will save up to half a box of gloves a day per room.
- Use radios or messaging systems for your practice. Keep your team in their rooms. Each time you remove your gloves when getting up to get your providers, you have to get a new pair of gloves when entering the room again. Here is another half a box of gloves a day per room (depending on how busy you are)!
- Use over gloves for your dental lab, which saves about a box of surgical gloves a week.
Save another box a week by using utility gloves to do your end of the day cleaning and disinfecting. - Utility gloves can be worn when cleaning the restrooms to save about a box a week.
- Wear utility gloves for taking the trash out and save a box a month.
These are helpful tips you can implement on MONDAY for your office! We all have to take a few new steps to save on our supply! If you’re ready to place an order or are looking for a reputable dental supply company, check into Henry Schein, Benco Dental, Patterson Dental, or Nashville Dental.
Now that you’re ready to order some utility gloves for your practice, there are some additional tips to maintain health standards and ensure that you do not spread any germs or cause skin irritations.
- Each person that will be using nitrile utility gloves should have their own pair. No sharing!
- Each week turn the gloves inside-out and wash them with antimicrobial soap and then allow the gloves to air-dry.
- Properly store the gloves by hanging them by the fingertips when not in use, which allows them to dry thoroughly.
Dental Practice Consultants
If you would like to learn more or schedule a complimentary one-hour consultation, please contact Bryant Consultants by calling (877) 768-4799. We provide consultation, training, and coaching and will continue to post relevant updates regarding the coronavirus pandemic. To ensure that you receive the latest updates, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
