Relevance of surgical gloves in minor surgical procedures in the present scenario: A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial

Abstract

Context: In developing countries, where money set aside for public health is <1% of the gross domestic
product, routine use of surgical gloves for examining patients as well as for minor surgical procedures can
be a drain on the resources. The present study was, therefore, planned to ascertain whether it is necessary
to use surgical gloves in routine minor surgical procedures.
Aim: The aim of the study was to ascertain whether it is necessary to use surgical gloves in routine minor
surgical procedures.
Materials and Methods: A comparative, prospective, randomized, double-blind study was carried out in
100 patients for various minor surgical procedures, performed aseptically. Microbiology specimens were
taken from the glove’s surfaces according to a standard protocol. An independent assessor, who was blinded
for the procedure, examined the patients on the 7th postoperative day.
Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistics 20 core system software.
Paired t-test, unpaired t–test, and Karl Pearson’s coefficient test were used to calculate the scientific data
and association between variables.
Results: A total of 100 patients who underwent minor surgical procedures were obtained at the end of the
study. Paired t-test showed highly significant difference from pre- to post-operative colony-forming units
at 1% level of significance (P < 0.01).
Conclusions: The present study concluded that the use of surgical gloves does not offer a definite advantage
in minimizing the rate of infections following various minor surgical procedures.