I was reading a couple of threads about how the nurses don't wear sterile gloves while handling I'V's, wounds etc. Is that standard practice in Mexico?:smile:

I don't know, but I just do not trust what goes on in Mexico. I have seen so many messed up Dental cases over the years. I've seen so many very bad pictures and stories about messed up plastic surgeries. I personally would never have anything done there.

It's standard practice in the United States, too. Not all gloves on healthcare providers' hands are sterile. Some procedures require sterile technique, and others require clean technique. The boxes of gloves in doctor's offices, on walls in hospital rooms, etc. are not sterile. They are clean.

Gloves are worn for a couple of purposes. Sometimes, sterile gloves are required--but by and large, gloves are worn to protect the healthcare worker from blood-borne pathogens, NOT to protect the patient.

When giving IV care, doing routine wound care, and so on, sterile gloves generally are not used.

Some dressing changes require sterile technique. But those associated with routine banding do not.

IV care does not require sterile gloves---the skin is cleansed with antiseptic, but clean, nonsterile gloves are used to protect the nurse from YOUR blood, not to protect you from germs. (The antiseptic on the skin takes care of that.)

I would not choose to have surgery in Mexico for a number of reasons--but this is not one that is cause for concern.

Im sorry i meant gloves in general...clean or sterile. I understand the use of them. I mean wouldnt they want to protect themselves from me as much as I want to be protected from them? To me it just seems it gives the impression that they dont really care about protecting themselves so why would precautions be taken to protect me? That is disconcerting.

If they use good hand-washing techniques, it wouldn't really give me much pause. I know lots of nurses in the U.S. who don't wear gloves when starting IVs. It's standard protocol to do so, but it can make it lots harder to locate veins.

If a nurse washes his/her hands before and after caring for the patient, it's not a huge concern, IMO.

If it's part of an overall pattern of nonchalance about medical care, then it's problematic.

I haven't gotten the impression that the care is sub-par in Mexico; my concerns involve the difficulty in assessing a surgeon, with foreign credentialing (and a different language) from afar.

Just before my surgery, I had a lap tech not use gloves to draw blood. I thought that was a little weird. I'm a CNA and I use gloves for big and simple things like helping someone brush their teeth. I'm a germaphobe though.

Exactly, my mother is an RN and when i hade surgery a couple of years ago she came over to do my dressing changes and she always put gloves on first.

I had my lap band surgery in Mexico and every single staff member that was dealing with me or other patients were wearing gloves. The hospital that I was in was much nicer than any I have seen in the states as well.

I also had my surgery in Mexico and all the nurses that tended to me wore gloves. And would like to make the point that I have had blood drawn in the states and had to ask them to put on gloves. I think there are some people like that no matter where you are.