M A Y 2 0 1 6 O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T 2 7
W
hen the FDA announced in
March that it was proposing
to ban most powdered gloves
because they pose an unrea-
sonable and substantial risk of
illness or injury to healthcare professionals and
patients, some experts wondered, What took you so
long? "It should have been done as soon as evidence
demonstrating patient harm was recognized," says
Is FDA's Push to Ban
Powdered Gloves
Long Overdue?
Experts say severe health hazards
have been well known for years.
Jim Burger
Associate Editor
Terry Roth,
BSN, RN,
CNOR, execu-
tive director of
perioperative
services at Hoag
Orthopedic
Institute in
Irvine, Calif.
Delayed
action
The proposed
ban applies to
powdered surgeon's
gloves, powdered patient
examination gloves and
absorbable powder for
lubricating a surgeon's
glove.
Cornstarch powder is
sometimes added to
gloves to help make them
easier to don and doff,
says the FDA, which
notes the powder on nat-
• PROACTIVE Concerned about safety,
many facilities stopped using powdered
gloves long before the proposed ban.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN
