Which item should you remove before washing your hands during urine output measurement?

Which item should you remove before washing your hands during urine output measurement?

• A. Gloves
• B. Gown
• C. Mask
• D. Shoe covers

Answer: (A)

Gloves are removed first because the outside of them is likely contaminated after patient contact. Taking off the gloves before washing your hands prevents transferring those contaminants to your bare skin, allowing hand hygiene to be effective. After removing them, dispose of the gloves and perform hand hygiene immediately. The gown, mask, and shoe covers are PPE, but they don’t have the same direct risk of contaminating your hands during removal, so removing gloves first is the key step to ensure clean hands for the rest of the procedure.

Gloves are removed first because the outside of them is likely contaminated after patient contact. Taking off the gloves before washing your hands prevents transferring those contaminants to your bare skin, allowing hand hygiene to be effective. After removing them, dispose of the gloves and perform hand hygiene immediately. The gown, mask, and shoe covers are PPE, but they don’t have the same direct risk of contaminating your hands during removal, so removing gloves first is the key step to ensure clean hands for the rest of the procedure.