The Color Purple
In our Simple Trauma classes one of the things that we discuss is the use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), more specifically, gloves. During the discussion we talk about using nitrile gloves instead of latex due to patient allergy concerns. Another thing that we talk about is the color of the gloves being used.
As we point out in class, the color of the gloves we decided to wear when dealing with a trauma situation can make our lives easier or more difficult depending on the color we choose. While many people in law enforcement and the tactical community choose to wear black; this is likely the worst color we could choose. Black gloves, when we are doing our initial triage, help to hide blood when we are doing our sweeps of the body. As you run your hands down the body, you may feel them become wet, but when you look at them you generally aren’t going to know if they are wet because of blood, urine, or the pool of spilled soft drink the injured person is laying in.
So if black isn’t a good choice, what are your options? Here, the market place has basically limited your options. About the only colors you’ll find nitrile gloves available in are black, white, and purple. Purple is the most common color seen around here, but it may be different depending on where you are located. Choose the color that works best for you and set yourself up for success should you need to use them.
Below is a picture showing different glove colors and how blood shows up on them
Until next time………….