Effect of glove use on manual dexterity of nursing students

Abstract

Background: Manual dexterity is vital in nursing. Nurses need to carry out applications requiring manual dexterity in the quickest and most accurate way. However, gloves are also necessary during such applications as a precaution against infections. Therefore, manual dexterity and the effect of gloves on manual dexterity are essential subjects to be investigated in the nursing field. Aims: This study aims to determine the effect of using gloves on the manual dexterity of nursing students. Materials and Method: The sample of the semi-experimental study consisted of 80 nursing students. The data were collected using a questionnaire and Purdue Pegboard Test. Results: The participants were 22.03 +/- 1.35 years of age on average; 61.2% of them were 22 years of age or above, 50% were female, 50% were male, 50% were in the third grade, 50% were in the fourth, 80% were high school graduates, and 97.5% did not work in any job. As a result, 47.5% reported that gloves impacted their manual dexterity, 52.5% reported only a partial effect, 12.5% indicated that gloves increased their manual dexterity, 66.3% stated that it reduced their manual dexterity, and 21.2% reported no change. The right-hand and assembly scores were found to be significantly higher in the tests performed with bare hands than in the tests performed with gloves (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Using latex gloves impacts the dominant-hand dexterity and assembly dexterity. Therefore, designing more ergonomic gloves, increasing nurses' habit of working with gloves already in school, and supporting the improvement of their manual dexterity with gloves are recommended.