Types of medical gloves and how to choose them

Medical gloves are one of the main tools used by both healthcare staff and professionals in other fields.

Currently, due to the health emergency situation we find ourselves in, their use has expanded with the aim of ensuring hygienic safety and preventing possible contact infections and during object handling.

Gloves can be classified based on the material they are made of (latex gloves, nitrile gloves, vinyl gloves and plastic, among others), whether or not they contain powder, and according to the certification they have.
Based on this last criterion, at DH medical material we have the following types of gloves:

Let's review the differences between them and specify the type of protection they provide.

According to the European Regulation (EU) 2017/745 a medical product is “any instrument, device, equipment, software, implant, reagent, material or other item intended by the manufacturer to be used in people, separately or in combination, for the following specific medical purposes:

- Diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, prediction, prognosis, treatment or relief of a disease,

- Diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, relief or compensation of an injury or disability,

- Research, replacement or modification of anatomy or a physiological or pathological process,

- Obtaining information through in vitro examination of samples from the human body, including organ donations, blood and tissues, and which does not exert its intended main action inside or on the surface of the human body by pharmacological, immunological or metabolic mechanisms, but to whose function such mechanisms may contribute.”

Medical products are classified according to their risk class. So they are distinguished from lowest to highest risk:

Class I: includes non-invasive products. This class would include medical gloves, caps, gowns, etc.

Class IIa: includes short-term invasive products that do not have a significant effect on the body and fluids. This class would include, for example, single-use scalpels, needles, cannulas, ...

Class IIb: includes long-term invasive products with a significant effect on the body or fluids. For example: prostheses, intraocular lenses and blood bags, among others.

Class III: includes products that can compromise life, that are fully absorbed, medications and those that contain derivatives of animals. As examples we would have medicated dressings, absorbable sutures, defibrillators, etc.

That is, the use of a medical glove that is certified as a Medical Product mainly offers protection to the patient.

According to European Regulation (EU) 2016/425, PPE is defined as: "Equipment designed and manufactured to be worn by a person to protect against one or more risks to their health or safety; Interchangeable components of the aforementioned equipment that are essential for its protective function; Connection systems for the aforementioned equipment that are not worn or held by a person, that are designed to connect said equipment to an external device or structure or to a secure anchor point, that are not designed to be permanently fixed and that do not require buckling maneuvers before their use”.

Depending on the risk category for which the PPE is designed, they can be classified into different levels. From least to greatest degree of risk over which it protects we find:

Category I: includes products that protect against minimal risks such as surface aggression, protective clothing against slightly harmful products, etc.

Category II: includes products that offer protection against moderate, non-fatal or irreversible risks. Such as protection against cold or heat, high visibility signaling, …

Category III: includes products designed to protect against serious, fatal or irreversible risks. In this category would be included gloves protecting against health risks, respiratory protection, among others.

In this case, gloves that have Personal Protective Equipment certification are tested and certified by a competent body as they protect the user against serious risks, ensuring their integrity and health. So that their use guarantees protection to the medical professional, or the corresponding field.

Gloves that have both certifications, Medical Product and Personal Protective Equipment, offer protection for both the patient and the healthcare professional during their use.

It is important to keep in mind that the type of glove to choose will largely depend on the use we are going to give it and the needs in each case. At DH Medical Material we offer all our customers the best gloves on the market with Medical Product, PPE or both certifications.

Thanks to our extensive catalogue of over 10,000 products and our extensive experience in the sector, we are able to offer the highest quality in our products and satisfy all the medical equipment needs of the user.