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Hospital in Ladysmith, Wis. "Staff cannot refuse," says Pat Somerville, RN, the
hospital's surgical services coordinator. "Surgeons are requested to double-
glove, but we still have 2 older surgeons who don't comply with the policy."
Other surgeons have seen the benefits and come around, she says. "We've had
incidents where a staff member was stuck with a needle and felt the stick, but it
did not penetrate the gloves," she says. "That had a positive effect on surgeons,
who then decided to try double-gloving."
Both Ms. Webb and Ms. Somerville say manufacturers are making the hard
sell a little easier with technological improvements that have improved comfort
and dexterity. "We tried 3 companies," says Ms. Somerville. "The important fac-
tors for us were fit, durability, quality and cost. The quality and the fit do seem
better."
OSM
