Becker's ASC Review

61 Executive Briefing: SPONSORED BY T he shift of total joints and orthopedic cases from the hospital to the ASC is becoming more predominant based on several driving factors such as increased surgeon autonomy, favorable outpatient payer policies, advances in medical technology, and improved health literacy among the patient population. Surgeons who were initially undecided are now looking for ways to capitalize on this shift. However, with all the critical requirements to establish a successful outpatient total joint program, many are left wondering where to begin. It's not uncommon for healthcare personnel to believe "a glove is a glove." They perceive all gloves and suppliers as the same. That is, until they realize their gloves have pinholes, rips or tears — or that their supplier is out of stock. With a deeper understanding of surgical and medical exam gloves, and of glove suppliers, it becomes clear that a glove is not just a glove, and that glove suppliers are not all the same. To learn more about some of the differences among both, Becker's ASC Review recently spoke with two category leaders from Owens & Minor (O&M), which manufactures the best-in- class HALYARD* product portfolio: • Patricia Gooden, global senior product manager • Greg Metcalf, senior director, gloves and apparel Focus on selecting the right glove for the right task The HALYARD* glove portfolio includes medical exam gloves, which represent a significant portion of the glove market. In the medical exam glove segment, "there are lots of different types of gloves made from different materials," Mr. Metcalf said. The four key materials are natural rubber latex, nitrile, vinyl and polychloroprene. "Each of these have different attributes, strengths, weaknesses and, when subjected under different stresses, they perform differently," Mr. Metcalf said. O&M specializes in nitrile for exam gloves, based on the view that it has the most balanced properties, the most affordable cost and doesn't pose the risk of allergies that natural latex does. That's why nitrile has become the number-one glove material in healthcare. "The key about exam gloves is that not all gloves are made the same and gloves have different purposes," Mr. Metcalf said. Most medical gloves are categorized as: • General purpose gloves that are focused on tactile sensitivity as opposed to strength. • House-wide gloves, the workhorse of the medical industry, are used across healthcare facilities and utilized to prevent exposure to common chemicals, chemotherapy agents and various infectious materials. • Specialty gloves feature specialized designs or proprietary formulations that deliver enhanced protections. They're typically used in areas such as oncology or in decontamination. Another variable with exam gloves is their thickness. Thinner gloves, Mr. Metcalf explained, are designed for less rigorous tasks, with low to moderate fluid exposure. Thicker gloves are made for more rigorous tasks and higher levels of fluid exposure. The thickest gloves are for the most demanding tasks. According to Mr. Metcalf, "we have made selecting the right glove easier with the company's trademarked glove colors: • Lavender and blue gloves are for general purpose activities. • Gray gloves are for procedures with low-to-high risk of exposure to fluid and abrasion. • Purple gloves provide maximum barrier protection. Picking the right glove(s) requires matching the glove to the task With both surgical gloves and medical exam gloves, there are multiple options to choose from. "Not all gloves are made the same, and gloves have different purposes," Mr. Metcalf said. When choosing the proper glove, Mr. Metcalf argued "the key is understanding the task at hand and what elements you're exposed to so you can find the right level of protection, to know whether you need a thinner or a thicker glove." He added, "selecting the right glove for the right task not only helps ensure the right level of protection but also saves money," since the cost of the glove is related to the thickness. If a thinner glove can be used for a task, the cost will likely be less. Ms. Gooden added, "with surgical gloves, there is not one-size-fits-all." Why surgical gloves are so important In hospitals, health systems and ASCs, "surgical gloves are a critical item for providers," Ms. Gooden said. "Surgical gloves are not a commodity. For surgeons and surgical teams, gloves are an extension of their hands. They are like surgical instruments." Through extensive research with surgeons and surgical teams, O&M has found that clinicians want gloves that contour to their hands like a second skin; they want to forget they are wearing gloves. "It's all about tactile sensitivity and comfort," Ms. Gooden observed, "and quality is extremely important, because they can't have a glove that fails in the middle of a procedure." Innovation in surgical and medical exams gloves: How to choose the right glove for the right task

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