Taking Rectal Temperatures without exam gloves- the good old days.

Hi Members,

I am in my middle 50's and grew up in the time when rectal temperatures were taken without exam gloves. My mother never used them at all and would never have thought of doing so. My hospital nurses during my hospital stay in 1971 never used them either. The procedure seemed much more intimate using one's bare hand to gently spread the buttocks and slide a well-lubricated thermometer up the rectum. I remember the softness of my nurses' hands on my bared and up-turned bottom as I lay on my stomach, Her slender fingers would press down and part my cheeks with the tips nearly touching the anus before the thermometer was inserted. She would release my buttocks and place her hand on my bottom for the full three minutes and I could feel it's warmth. Oftentimes she would pat my bottom and remind my to "be still while the thermometer is in". If the thermometer happened to "slide up", she would notice this and spread my buttocks and gently push it back up the rectum. Members, do you recall the days when caregivers went "gloveless"?

My mom and grandmother never wore gloves for my rectal temperatures and suppositories. However, I do remember the nurses at the doctor always wore gloves. I'm in my early twenties.

It was not until the Blood Borne Pathogens Act of 1991 came into effect that health care workers were required to wear protective gloves to prevent transmission of pathogens present in bodily fluids from a patient to a health care worker. Enforcement of this act is enforced by OSHA forced management of health care facilities to get serious about health care workers becoming infected with such dreaded diseases such as AIDS, Hepatitis B and C, etc. Before that period of time, it was the "yuk" factor to led to health care worker to wear latex gloves while in direct contact with patients.

As far as taking a youngster's rectal temperature with a glass rectal thermometer was concerned, handling only the non-entry end of the instrument was sufficient to prevent possible contact with a pathogen and cleaning and with a disinfectant such as rubbing alcohol (usually with a cotton pad) and rinsing in afterwards. Storing the glass rectal thermometer in rubbing alcohol was an extra measure to insure the it was decontaminated.

To insure complete destruction of pathogens in this era, the disinfection process is completed by immersing the glass rectal thermometer in a 50% solution of Betadine for an hour after which it is rinsed off and placed in the storage container of rubbing alcohol. Wearing protective gloves are necessary when handling Betadine.

. . . . Wearing protective gloves are necessary when handling Betadine.

Do you mean betadine previously used for disinfecting or even new, fresh betadine?

I hope you know betadine is used as s surgical scrub, wound cleanser and at least in the past as a douche.

Gloves are NOT needed to handle betadine.

My post had nothing to do with Betadine. I was referring to the difference of caregivers taking rectal temperatures on patients without first putting on latex exam gloves like they do today. I also suggested that the feel of my nurse's bare hand on my bottom added to pleasant sensations for me. The softness or her hand, it's warmth and so forth. I feel the exam glove gets in the way of those pleasant sensations and wondered if others had a similar experience and felt as I did.

My post had nothing to do with Betadine. I was referring to the difference of caregivers taking rectal temperatures on patients without first putting on latex exam gloves like they do today. . . .

I wasn't referring to your post and the need for gloves is related to disease transmission which another poster was discussing. Disease transmission and disinfection IS the reason for gloves.

Remind me never to get you mad at me SwitchableSusie...