Abstract
Medical gloves have a direct effect on the safety of clinical staff and patients as well as optimal performance. Thus, it is necessary to identify the quantitative impact of gloves on hand performance indicators. This study aimed to investigate the effect of medical gloves on manual performance. This study was conducted on 40 hospital clinical staff. The participants’ dexterity, tactile sensitivity, and grip strength were evaluated with and without gloves and were compared by Purdue pegboard, two-point discrimination, and dynamometer tests. Additionally, the participants were required to rate their performance under different conditions using the visual analogue scale. The results showed that medical gloves had a significant effect on all studied indices. Double gloving caused the most significant reduction in touch sensitivity. Grip strength was also significantly reduced by the use of inappropriate gloves. Despite its negative effects on the ergonomic indices, single gloving provided the same functional performance as did the condition without gloves. Relevance to industryDespite a significant decrease in manual performance, single gloving can be a good alternative for the condition without gloves with regard to individuals’ mental performance. The present study results also indicated that medical gloves had a significant impact on ergonomic indicators related to manual performance. Hence, it is necessary to consider manual function dimensions when designing gloves.
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