Which one of the following statements is false about sterile gloves?

RML MAINS 2025

Nursing Foundation

Medium

Appeared in: RML MAINS 2025

Explanation

This statement is false because the inside of a sterile glove makes contact with the skin of the hand.
Skin can be cleaned but not fully sterilized, so any surface it touches, including the inside of the glove, is considered unsterile in the context of a sterile field.
The core principle of surgical asepsis is to maintain a sterile field, and this requires a clear distinction between sterile and unsterile surfaces.
The outside of the gloves is the sterile barrier; the inside is simply a container for the unsterile hand.

Option A: This statement is true. It describes the correct technique for donning the first sterile glove, following the principle of 'unsterile touching unsterile' (bare hand touches the inside of the cuff).
Option B: This statement is true. It describes the correct technique for donning the second sterile glove, following the principle of 'sterile touching sterile' (gloved fingers touch the outside of the other glove's cuff).
Option D: This statement is true. It describes the correct method for adjusting gloves after they are on, maintaining sterility by only touching sterile surfaces with other sterile surfaces.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Surgical Asepsis and Sterile Gloving Technique as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Strict adherence to sterile gloving technique is critical in preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), particularly surgical site infections (SSIs).
A breach in sterile technique, such as touching the outside of a glove with a bare hand, requires the nurse to discard the contaminated gloves and start the process over to protect the patient.
What if a nurse accidentally touches a non-sterile surface after donning gloves? The nurse must immediately recognize the contamination, remove the gloves, perform hand hygiene, and don a new sterile pair. Continuing the procedure with contaminated gloves poses a significant risk to the patient.

How to Approach the Question

First, recognize that the question asks for the 'false' statement. This means you are looking for the one incorrect piece of information among three correct statements.
Read each option carefully and evaluate it against the fundamental principles of surgical asepsis.
Recall the key rule: 'sterile touches sterile' and 'unsterile touches unsterile'.
Analyze the interface between the hand (unsterile) and the glove. The inside of the glove touches the hand, making it unsterile. The outside of the glove is intended to touch the sterile field, so it must remain sterile.
Evaluate each step described in the options (picking up the first glove, the second glove, and adjusting) based on these principles to identify the statement that violates the rules of sterility.

Concept Tested & Keywords

QlR5kshREEnOrLXJl27Z3M

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 3 p. 1-3

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Taylor p. 196-198