The whole idea of a pt being offended at PPE is ridiculous! I use PPE to protect myself from getting something nasty. We see a lot of really sick people in our ambulance and I'm not going to assume that first they know everything they are infected with, and second that they will be willing to share that information with me.
Universal precautions means just that! It doesn't mean being careful when you know there is something that can get you, but the assumption that every patient has everything that can infect you. Waiting until we see a need to use PPE is too late in many cases. Yes, the skin is a wonderful barrier device but there's another organ we have to use to its highest purpose as well, the brain. My brain tells me that we are creatures of habit, and the habit of wearing clean gloves for each patient and taking them off when they get icky, or before we touch something clean is the best way to avoid contamination of the clean, with the dirty.
No, my doctor doesn't put gloves on before he treats me for my annual asthma meds update. But then, I am not bleeding, puking, losing control of my bladder, bowels or other bodily functions in his office. I have had patients do all of the above in my ambulance. My dentist wears gloves and a mask, as does his dental hygenist and my optometrist washes his hands when he enters the exam room before examining me. I do not find this offensive, but rather proof that they are vigilant in their dedication to avoid the spread of disease from one patient to another.
If a patient is 'offended' by my putting on gloves, tough beans! What are they going to think when I put on a face shield, hepa filter mask or get out a big red bio-hazard bag to put their stinky effects in?
