Natural rubber latex, the milky substance which comes from the sap of the Brazilian rubber tree, is found in numerous household and medical products. While only a small percentage of the general population is allergic to latex, some studies have shown that a higher percentage of health care workers have developed a latex allergy.
The BWH Latex Allergy Task Force has worked extensively over the past three years to address the concerns of hospital employees and patients alike. The Task Force, which has representatives from clinical and support services, is responsible for developing awareness policies, ordering and stocking latex-free supplies, creating comprehensive educational programs and more.
“We have progressed from having a tote bag of latex-free materials to an entire cart, and we are currently in the process of adding even more materials to that,” said Catherine Breen, RN, MS, chair of the Task Force.
Latex-free gloves are a particularly important staple, especially when considering how much time medical professionals are required to wear gloves today. They have also come a long way from the older versions, which offered less tactile sensitivity than their latex and/or powdered counterparts. “The older latex-free gloves weren’t very user-friendly,” said Breen, “but now it’s much easier to work with them.”
The mobility of the latex-free materials cart has many benefits, but one of the Task Force’s goals is to have such equipment available on every unit instead of just on an on-call basis. “As we realized we needed more items, we realized we would also need a designated place where they can be safely stored, yet accessible to nurses and other practitioners,” said Breen.
Because latex sensitivity is fairly uncommon in patients, the guidelines of caring for such a patient can be forgotten over time. To prevent this, training is part of both new staff orientation and mandatory annual training. There is also a binder located on every nursing unit that contains a checklist of what must be done to ensure a latex-free environment for a sensitive patient. Additionally, a more comprehensive educational program for all staff—including departments such as Transportation and Diagnostic Services—is being developed to ensure that all BWH employees are using the same approach and have the necessary supplies and equipment for their unit/service needs.
“We want to facilitate access to latex-free supplies; policies and procedures so that our staff can effectively provide for the special care needs of patients with latex allergies when they come to BWH,” said Breen. “We are also concerned with how to best spread the word about latex allergy education, and how to reach as many employees as possible.”