Sterile Gloves ：What to know before your purchase

Non-sterile gloves have many applications outside of clinical use, in everything from food processing to chemical handling.

Many in the healthcare sector wonder whether sterile gloves are necessary or if non-sterile gloves will do. Both have their place in medical procedures and patient care. The right choice depends on many factors.

What Does Sterile Mean?

Sterilization has a distinct medical definition and must be distinguished from disinfection. Something sterile is free from all microbial life forms. Healthcare facilities can carry out sterilization through physical or chemical methods. In contrast, disinfection eliminates most or all pathogenic microorganisms except for bacterial spores. Medical facilities can disinfect inanimate objects with liquid chemicals or pasteurization. 

It’s critical to recognize this distinction. Many in the industry confuse the meaning of sterile or use it interchangeably with disinfection. Some products will be labeled “partially sterile,” which means the item has been disinfected, not sterilized.

It’s also useful to understand that sterility is measured through statistical probability. While governing bodies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can test for sterility, the testing methods cannot entirely prove sterility. For example, the analysis can introduce microbes onto sterile devices. Instead, sterility is assured if a particular sterilization technique has been applied long enough that the probability of survival is less than one microorganism.

Sterile Glove Applications

Sterile or surgical gloves are considered medically necessary for invasive procedures and operations that contact sterile parts of the body.